Who'll Be Home for Christmas?
by Angie Elle
Summary: Haley's not going home for Christmas, until she finds out that Nathan won't be there. She hasn't seen him in years, & she doesn't plan to. But what happens when Nathan shows up unexpectedly at the James residence expecting to spend the holidays with them?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Ok, so I know what you're thinking. She's starting __**another**__ one? But the truth is— I'm going to be working on it anyway, so I might as well post it._

_The Obligatory Disclaimer—I do NOT own One Tree Hill or any of the characters!_

_And now, Chapter One!_

Lydia James sighed. "Nathan Scott James," she scolded, using the nickname she'd adopted for him so long ago. "I can't believe that you won't be home for Christmas. _Again._"

Nathan laughed from his end of the phone. "I'm sorry, Lyds," he said. "It's a busy time of the year."

"Oh, really?" she said accusingly. Nathan could practically hear her crossing her arms on the other end of the phone. "And just _what_ is it that you have to do?"

"Actually—one of the guys on my team invited me to his place for dinner," he told her.

"You're choosing a teammate over _family_?" she said in disbelief.

Nathan laughed. "I have to have a meeting with my lawyer to go over some endorsement contracts the day after Christmas."

"Oh, so I get it. Now McDonalds takes precedence over us?"

He laughed again. "I don't even endorse McDonald's," he reminded her.

"Yes, well, see? Your endorsement isn't even that important," she concluded, then sighed. "Craig is really going to miss you this year," she said, referring to her youngest son, Nathan's best friend.

"I'll miss Craig, too," Nathan said. He and Craig had become fast friends when Nathan had joined the varsity basketball team as a freshman. Craig had been the only other freshman that year that had been handpicked by Whitey Durham to join the Ravens varsity basketball team. At the beginning of their senior year, a set of unfortunate circumstances had caused Nathan to end up living with the James family. "But I'll catch up with him when he flies out for in February."

Lydia sighed in resignation. "Well, I guess we're down two. Haley's not coming home, either," she said irritably.

Nathan cleared his throat. "How is Haley?" he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"Oh, she's fine. But I'll tell you what. That girl keeps me so worried. She's really giving Taylor a run for her money in that department."

"Haley went wild?" Nathan said, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

Laughter bubbled up Lydia's throat. "Oh, no. If it was that, I'd be OK, but she's just…burying herself in her work again," she said. "But I don't want to bore you with those details."

_Bore me with them, _Nathan thought desperately.

"Well, I suppose I'll let you get back to your _busy_ life," she said testily. "I hate to keep you. Call us on Christmas day?"

"Wild horses couldn't stop me, Lyds," he told her.

"Good," she said, satisfied for now. "I'll talk to you then. I love you, Honey."

"Thanks," Nathan said, hanging up the phone. He put it back in its cradle and walked into his living room with a fresh bottle of water and a bag of Doritos.

He picked up the remote and hit play. When Lydia had called, he'd been reviewing his performance in the previous nights' game, but as it started up again, his mind wandered to Haley and he wondered how she was doing. He hadn't seen her since he'd graduated from high school, which was the year before she did, and he knew she'd a rough time her junior year. He'd lived with their family for his last year of high school and had been there to witness her struggle. He sighed as he remembered how he'd come to live with the James family.

_Nathan ran up the steps to the James house in the pouring rain, the hood on his sweatshirt up to block out as much of it as possible. He rang the doorbell and stood there waiting, blowing on his hands to keep them warm until someone opened the door. It was a__ cold rain, one he could feel all the way to__ his bones. Finally, the door flew open, and Craig's younger sister, Haley was standing on the __other side of it. She smiled when she saw it was __him. "Hey, Nathan," she said._

_"Hey," he said breathlessly, as if he'd run there. He had. "Is Craig here?" he asked._

_"No, he'__s out with Mom and D__ad," she told him. "They went out to eat. I, of-course, had to stay home because I have a paper due tomorrow."_

_"Oh, well, can you tell him I stopped by?" Nathan said, turning to go._

_She grabbed his arm. "Not so fast, number 23. You're not going back out in this rain. Come on in."_

_Nathan walked in and he was shivering in his wet clothes. "Why don't you go up to Craig's room and find something dry to put on?" she offered._

_He nodded. "Thanks," he said, and after taking off his sneakers, he headed up the stairs. _

_Haley returned to the kitchen and sat back down at the table. She loved studying in here, because the table was huge and gave her plenty of room to spread out. She looked around for one of her resource books, and when she couldn't find it, she decided the check her room. It was probably in her book bag. She headed up the stairs, and at the sight of Craig's bedroom door, remembered that Nathan __was there. She knocked softly, and opened it without waiting for an answer. "Did you find—" Haley stopped midsentence at the sight that greeted her._

_"Haley!" Nathan said angrily__, turning around so his back was no longer facing her._

_She crossed the room in a second. "What the hell happened to you?" she demanded to know._

_"__It's nothing," he told her, trying to quickly pull the T-shirt he had in his hands over his head. He failed in getting it on soon enough, but he eventually pulled it over his head and down over his chest and back.__ His muscles ached, so it took him a little longer than usual to get it on._

_"That is __**not**__ nothing, Nathan," she said softly. "I've seen what nothing looks like, and that is not it."_

_"I'm fine," he assured her._

_"Who did this to you?"_

_"Haley, leave it alone," he said firmly._

_She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Was it your Dad?"__ she pressed._

_He didn't say anything, just looked down. "I gotta go," he said suddenly. "__I need to get__ home."_

_"Like hell you do!" Haley exploded. "You're not stepping foot in that house again, except to get your things and get the hell out of there!" _

_"Haley—"_

_"I'm not kidding, Nathan!" She fled the room, running down the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed the phone off its base, and quickly dialed._

_"Haley, what are you doing?" Nathan asked tensely, running into the room right behind her._

_She held up a finger to shush him. "Daddy? Where are you guys?" she asked. There was silence while her father answered on the other end of the phone. "Can you come home now?" Haley asked, and Nathan was surprised at the pain in her voice.__ After another short pause, __Haley said goodbye. She __hung up the phone__ and turned around to face Nathan_

_"You shouldn't have done that," he said softly._

_"Well, rumor has it I'm not too bright," she told him._

_"I haven't heard that one," he said__ seriously._

_"Turn around," she told him._

_He sighed__ in resignation__ and then did as she requested. She gently lifted up his shirt and__ he winced when she__ lightly ran her fingers over one of the swollen bruises._ _"Does it hurt?" she asked, letting go of his shirt. She didn't kn__ow why she asked. Of-course it__ hurt. But she wanted desp__erately for him to say that it__ didn't._

_"__Like hell," he admitted__, turning back around_

_"__Oh, Nathan. How could he do this to you?__"_

_"It's not his fault, H__aley. He was drinkin__g," Nathan said, d__efending his father._

_"__Don't you dare defend him!" she said angrily. "It __**is **__his fault! You don't do this to your kids! You don't…do this to your kids! You just don't!" she said loudly,__ her eyes filling up with tears._

_Nathan grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to him. "It's OK," he told her._

_She pulled away and choking on a sob, lifted her eyes to his. "Are you kidding?" she asked incredulously. "This is a lot of things, Nathan. But OK isn't one of them."_

_Nathan had no reply, so instead, they went into the living room and sat down on the couch, waiting for her parents to return._

_They did, fifteen minutes later. Two hours after that, all of Nathan's things had been moved into the James' house, where he'd finished out his last year of school._

Nathan pulled himself back to the present and took a deep breath. He stood up, heading for the kitchen. Screw the water. He needed a beer.

777

"Mom," Haley James said, cradling her phone between her chin and shoulder. "There is no way I can come home for Christmas," she lied. "I have _way _too many papers to correct." This was her mother's fifth call to harass her about not coming home for Christmas. It really was quite amusing.

"That's what you said last year," her mother said, and Haley could practically hear her frowning on the other end of the phone. "Which, really, Honey, is a little bit confusing since papers take up so little room. You could probably fit them in your carry-on."

Haley rolled her eyes, and popped her frozen dinner in the microwave. Oh, how she would love to have one of her mothers homemade Christmas dinners right about now. "I just have a lot to do, and you know how hard it is to concentrate in that house around Christmas time. I mean—Tornado Taylor _alone_ is enough to drive anyone insane." She smiled at the thought of her chaotic sister. To know her was definitely _not_ to love her, but Haley did anyway.

Her mother sighed. "Well, that means Christmas without both you and Nathan again this year," her mother said. "I swear this family is falling apart at the seams."

Haley laughed at her mother's melodrama. "We're not falling apart, Mom. We've just grown up."

"You mean apart?" her mother argued.

Haley sighed. "Book me a flight," she said begrudgingly, before she could change her mind.

She heard her mother squeal on the other end of the phone. "Are you serious?" she asked.

Haley giggled. "Yes, Mom. I'm serious. Book me a flight and…I'll be home for Christmas," she assured her mother.

"For how long?" her mother asked.

"If I could fly in on the 23rd and leave on the 28th, that would be perfect," Haley told her. "That way, I'd still have plenty of time to catch up on things here," she said, referring to her home state of New Hampshire.

"Wonderful! I'm going to hang up now. Before you can change your mind. I'm going to get on my seattop and book you a flight!" Lydia said.

"Your what?" Haley asked, perplexed.

"Oh, I meant laptop, Honey."

"Oh," Haley squeaked. Her mother never ceased to amaze her. She was quite a character. "Well, that's nice. E-mail me the arrangements, and I'll call you to confirm, Mom."

"OK, Honey. I love you," Lydia James told her daughter.

"You, too, Mom. 'Bye."

As soon as they hung up the phone, Lydia James ran into the living room, dancing around excitedly. Her husband sat there grinning as he watched her. He loved watching his wife move around like that. "Jimmy, Haley's coming home for Christmas!" she told him excitedly.


	2. Chapter 2

Haley put her Sonicare toothbrush into her suitcase and checked it off her list, searching for the next item on her travel register. She sighed in contentment. She was so happy to be going home this year. It would be her first time being home for Christmas in four long years.

Last year, Haley had flown to Nashville to stay with Quinn and her husband, Clay, and the year before that, her parents and Taylor had flown out and they'd spent it together. But it was never the same as spending Christmas in her childhood home. The other two years, Haley had made up some excuse not to be there. Since she never could be sure she whether or not she would run into Nathan, it was what she felt needed to be done.

She'd only seen Nathan a handful of times since he and Craig had left for Duke. Nathan had always found things to occupy him during breaks to make it seem like a plausible explanation for not being there. Haley had missed him like crazy, but she knew it was for the best. Nathan knew things about Haley that no one else did, and it made it hard for her to be around him. For him, too, apparently.

Haley sat down on her bed and took a deep breath as she remembered the night that she and Nathan had become inseparable until he'd left for college.

_The door to the bathroom connecting Haley's bedroom to her brother's flew open and Nathan took a step in. "Oh, sorry," he said, when he saw Haley on her knees in front of the porcelain bowl.__"I didn't realize you were home already."__ He started to take a step back, but stopped.__ Tonight was supposed to have been a big night for Haley. It was her first date.__ "Haley?" he said softly. "You OK?"_

_"I'm fine," Haley whispered, not looking up at him._

_"You're lying," Nathan said__ simply._

_She __looked up at Nathan and his heart stopped. __Her face was tear streaked with mascara, and she had the beginning of a bruise on her left cheek. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked softly, crouching down and tenderly smoothing her hair away from her face._

_"Nothing. I'm fine," she insisted. "I just want to take a shower."_

_Nathan nodded his head and that was when he noticed a red splotch on the inner thigh of her white dress pants. He stood up, and grabbed her upper arms, hauling her to her feet __with him__."Haley," Nathan said--almost threateningly._

_"Nathan, please," she begged__ brokenly._

_"Who did this?" he asked. In that instant, Haley knew that if she told him, she would see a darker side of Nathan that she'd never dreamed existed.__She would have collapsed into a heap on the floor had it not been for his grip on her. __Sobs wracked her body, and h__e pulled her to him and kick__ed the door shut __with his heel.__ He leaned__ up against it, slid__ing__ them both to the floor. "Sshh," he said, trying to comfort her, but knowing at the same time that it wasn't possible.__ He was running one hand down her hair repetitively. His chin was resting on the top of her head._

_"Nathan?" she finally said after a long time._

_"Yeah," he answered._

_She pulled away so that she could look him in the eyes. The look on her face made his heart ache. He'd watched as she'd swallowed nervously. "Please don't tell Daddy. Or Craig," she said, her voice full of tears again. "I'm not…sure what they'll do if they find out," she said._

_"I won't tell them," he said softly. "But, Haley, this guy deserves to pay. Tell me who did this to you," he persisted._

_Haley shook her head. "It's not important."_

_Nathan laughed in disbelief. "Are you kidding?"_

_"It's over, Nathan," she said._

_"Not for you, Haley," he said tenderly, knowingly. "For you, it's just beginning."_

_Haley swallowed audibly and then moved back into Nathan's arms. They stayed that way for a long time, neither moving, each barely breathing.__ Finally, she spoke. "I think I'd like to take that shower now," she told him. He stood up and helped her to her feet, and then left her to cleanse herself._

Haley swallowed past the lump in her throat as the memories flooded her. That next morning, at three a.m., she'd crossed the hall to Nathan's bedroom, unable to fall sleep. She hadn't knocked, just slipped quietly in without a word and crawled into bed with him. He'd wrapped his arms around her protectively, pulling her back against his chest. It was the first of many nights she'd spent by his side, the only place she felt safe. He was still the only one who knew what had happened to her.

Haley stood up and moved about her little house, tidying it up as she went along and thinking all the while. She couldn't say that she was fully over what had happened to her that night, but she'd learned to live with it. She didn't dwell on it anymore, and she'd even started dating again within the last few years, which she knew, had been a huge step for her.

777

The next afternoon, Jimmy and Lydia were on their way to the airport to pick up their youngest child. "I can't _believe _you used that seattop thing with Haley," Jimmy James said, gliding in and out of traffic on the highway.

Lydia laughed. "Jimmy, those kids think I'm crazy," she said. "There's no need to burst their bubble."

"Crazy is fine. But you sounded…"

"Yes?" Lydia said, giving her husband a stern glare.

He uncomfortably cleared his throat. "Endearing," he said, changing his choice of wording at the last minute.

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "That's what I thought you were going to say."

"So, that means all the kids will be home this year," Jimmy declared.

"Not _all_ of them," she said longingly, gazing out her window at the scenery.

"Honey, he doesn't belong to us," Jimmy said softly.

Lydia sighed. "Just because we didn't give birth to him does not mean he's not ours. That boy belongs to us in every way that counts," she disagreed.

"I know," Jimmy said, keeping his eyes on the road. "I just keep thinking that if I say it enough times, it'll make me miss him less."

She turned her gaze to her husband. "And does it work?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not a bit."

777

Haley was looking around the busy airport for her parents when she heard her mother yelling her name. She turned around and grinned at the sight of them. She headed in their direction, and when she got there they nearly smothered her to death with their hugs. Her mother took a step back and holding her daughter at arms length, looked her up and down. "You look good, Haley," her mother told her. "You look really good. Doesn't she look good, Jimmy?" Lydia asked.

Jimmy grinned down at his daughter. "She looks stunning," he said, winking at her.

Haley laughed. "Dad," she softly scolded, embarrassed.

"What?" he said. "Is it my fault that my daughter happens to be the most beautiful daughter in this whole entire airport?"

Lydia grinned, nodding in agreement. "Let's go get your luggage, Honey," she said, heading for baggage claim. Haley's dad put an arm around her shoulders and they followed.

He kissed his daughter on the forehead. "We're really glad you're home for Christmas this year," he told her. "Especially your mom. She's really missed having you here, Haley."

"I missed you guys, too, Dad," she said, giving him a squeeze.

They collected Haley's luggage and were on their way home, Haley sitting in the front with her dad, her mother in the back. "When is Taylor supposed to be here?" she asked.

"She should get there soon after we do," Lydia told her daughter. "She left Tampa at around six this morning."

"Wow. Tay--getting up at six a.m.? Will wonders never cease," she said amazed.

"Your sister really misses you, Honey. She's so excited to spend some time with you. She was thrilled that we weren't going to be home tonight."

Haley turned around to face her mother. "Where are you going to be?" she asked.

"Your father has his company Christmas party tonight, so we'll be there."

Haley grinned, knowing that if it was anything like the times she remembered, her parents would be having lots of fun. "We won't wait up," she teased.

"We won't be too late. We want to be able to spend some time with you before you go home," Lydia said. She didn't want to miss a moment with her most elusive daughter.

Jimmy grinned. "Plus, your mother can't hold her liquor like she used to be able to," he said.

Lydia playfully hit her husband on the arm from the backseat. "You're one to talk, Jimmy James," she said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, Honey, the parties are much different than they used to be. Legalities and all."

"Yeah, I know," Haley said.

777

Haley was up in her old bedroom and had just finished unpacking everything when a wave of exhaustion finally washed over her. She'd been so busy trying to get caught up on correcting tests and getting her house settled before she left, that she'd barely slept last night. She decided to lie down and close her eyes for just a minute.

But first she walked across the hallway and opened the door to Nathan's old room. She smiled softly when she saw that her mother still hadn't taken down the posters on his walls of his favorite basketball players—a testament to how much she'd adored her son's best friend. She sighed and walked over to the bed. She picked up the pillow and walked to the door, closing it again on her way out. She returned to her own room and crawled under the covers. She pulled Nathan's old pillow to her chest and closing her eyes, inhaled. She sighed in disappointment. It didn't smell like him anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

Haley woke up an hour and a half later, with a stretch and a yawn. She got out of bed and went down the back stairs. She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen watching her mother and her sister. She grinned at the sight. She had missed them both terribly, not realizing how much until this very minute. Taylor was sitting at the island chattering on about a new job, and her mother was at the coffeepot refilling a mug. When Lydia turned back around, she spotted Haley. "You're up," she said, smiling softly at her daughter.

Taylor's head whipped around and when she saw her sister, she screeched Haley's name. Haley started laughing as her older sister jumped off the bar stool and ran toward her. Taylor nearly knocked her over with her exuberance. Haley had all she could do to keep her balance. They hugged for a minute, rocking back and forth until finally Taylor pulled away, holding Haley at arms length, looking her up and down. "You've lost weight," she observed. "You're waaaay too skinny. That's it, pizza and soda for supper tonight," she said, grinning.

Haley laughed. "I'm all for that," she told her sister.

Lydia took her coffee cup, and headed for the stairs. "While you two girls catch up, I'm going to go up and get ready for the party," she told them.

"OK, Mom," Haley said. Before she could say anything else, Taylor grabbed her by the hand and they headed for the living room. They sat down on the couch together, Taylor sitting as close to her sister as possible. They both had their feet propped up on the coffee table, their shoulders' resting against each others.

"So, how are things?" Taylor asked.

"They're good," Haley told her. "My classroom this year is wonderful, not at all like last years students from hell, so I'm happy. And with you?"

"They're wonderful," Taylor said, a wide grin on her face.

Haley knew that look. "What's _this_ one's name?" she asked. While Haley loved her sister, she knew what her relationships were like. Two month's for Taylor was akin to a silver anniversary for anyone else on the planet.

"You know me soooo well," her sister said. "His name is Mac and he is such a hottie."

"Mac. I like that. It's _manly_. Why didn't you bring _Mac_ home for Christmas?" Haley asked.

"He's spending it with his wife," Taylor said.

"What?" Haley said loudly, pulling away from her sister and looking at her in disbelief.

Taylor grabbed Haley's arm and pulled her back to her side. "I'm kidding," she teased. "You should have seen your face!"

"That was not funny at all," Haley scolded.

Taylor laughed again. "He flew to Texas to see his parents," she told her sister. "I was going to go with him, but when mom called me the other night and said that you were coming home, I bailed."

Haley laughed. "You skipped out on a guy because of me?" she asked.

Taylor nodded. "Am I a loyal sister or what?"

"That you are, Tay. Why didn't he come with you, then?"

"Because his brother is flying in from Washington, and he hasn't seen him in two years, so he wanted to be able to spend some time with him."

"A family man? Nice. Think he'll be able to get you on the right path?" Haley taunted.

Taylor grinned. "He can try. But it's gonna be one hell of a job!"

777

Their parents had left for her father's company gathering an hour or so ago, and the girls had been sitting on the couch talking since then. When they checked the time, they were surprised at how late it was and decided to order a pizza before it got even later.

After picking out a movie at the video store, the girls were now at the grocery store getting some snacks for the night. They were passing the liquor aisle when Taylor grabbed Haley's hand. "Come on!" she said wiggling her eyebrows.

Haley laughed. "Tay—what are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm thinking of getting us drunk tonight," she said honestly, perusing the aisle.

"You know I can't drink! Taylor, I'm a teacher now. I have a reputation to uphold," she explained.

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Not in this town!"

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "This is true. So, what are you in the mood for?" she asked, giving in. Time with Taylor was never boring, that was for sure.

Taylor grinned. "What are _you _in the mood for?" she returned.

Haley looked at the selection in front of her. "A Margarita night?" she suggested.

"Ooooh, good idea!" Taylor agreed, grabbing everything they'd need for the drinks. The girls brought their purchases to the counter and checked out, and after picking up their order at the pizza shop, headed home.

When they got there, Taylor wasted no time, pulling out the blender and preparing the Margarita's immediately. She grabbed some glasses from the cupboard and poured one for her and one for Haley, then they each grabbed a couple of slices of pizza and went into the living room. They popped in the movie they'd rented, _Shag_, one of their favorite chick flicks from when they were younger. It was a film about three girls who kidnapped a fourth, and took her to Myrtle Beach to give her one last hurrah before she got married. Haley and Taylor made a pact that each time the girls in the movie used the phrase 'the most fun,' they'd take a drink.

"We should totally do that!" Taylor said when the movie ended. She was pretty buzzed by now. They used that phrase more than she'd remembered.

"What?" Haley asked, amused. "Take up dancing? Because I could so be a _great_ dancer," she said proudly. Haley was even more buzzed than Taylor.

"No, we should go to Myrtle Beach this summer! It would be the _most_ fun!" Both girls giggled at Taylor's comment, and then took a drink of their Margarita's. It didn't occur to either of them that had they been sober, neither one would have laughed at that. "But since we can't do that, the dancing part sounds fun," Taylor said, jumping up off the couch. She ran over to the radio and cranked it, then frowned. "I don't know any of these songs," she complained, flipping through the stations.

Haley stood up and grinned at her sister. "Follow me," she said. She put her drink on the coffee table, paying no attention to the fact that her hand was unsteady, causing it to slosh over the sides and onto the wooden structure. She ran up the stairs with Taylor right behind her, both of them tripping more than once on the way up. It only caused them to giggle even more. Haley threw open the door of her old bedroom and ran to her old dresser. She sat down in front of it, and Taylor followed suit. When Haley opened the drawer, Taylor shrieked with excitement. "Jackpot!" she exclaimed when she saw Haley's old CD collection. They girls flipped through them, and grabbed a few, then raced back down the stairs. Haley returned to the couch and sat down, grabbing her Margarita and taking another drink while Taylor loaded the CD player.

"I have an idea!" Taylor said, running out of the room. When she came back, she was holding a can of potpourri spray in each hand.

Haley immediately burst into laughter. "Oh, no way!" she said, shaking her head.

"Oh, come on! You know you want to!" her sister told her.

Still, Haley shook her head.

"OK, but when the music starts, you'll be _singing_ a different tune," Taylor teased.

Taylor hit play on the CD player, and as Aqua's Barbie Girl filled the room, Haley laughed even more. She'd hated that song when it came out, but had to admit, it was fun to sing along with. She watched Taylor bouncing around the room, and chewed on her lower lip in indecision. Finally she jumped up. "Give it to me!" she yelled over the music.

Taylor grinned knowingly and tossed her sister one of the cans of potpourri. Haley immediately put it up to her mouth like a microphone, singing along to the lyrics.

Taylor jumped up on the coffee table and started dancing, while Haley was on the floor be-bopping all around the living room.

That was the sight that greeted their parents when they finally stumbled into the house at midnight.

777

"Knock, knock," Haley heard from what sounded like a land far, far away. She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head, trying to block out the light coming in from the hallway. "Girls?" she heard her mother say.

"Mom, the light!" Haley groaned.

Lydia laughed. "Enjoying the aftereffects of last night?" she teased.

Haley felt the body next to her stretch and then sit up. "Morning, Mom," the voice said cheerfully.

Haley tried to roll her eyes under her closed eyelids. Leave it to Taylor to get smashed the night before and then wake up all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

"Your father and I are going to the mall to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Do you want to come with us?" she asked.

Haley felt Taylor, who had slept against the wall on the inside of the bed, crawl over her. "Sure," she said. "I could get a few more things. What time is it?" she asked her mother.

"It's almost 8," Haley heard Lydia say.

She groaned again. "Why are you waking us up at 8?" she grumbled.

Lydia laughed again. "Because I had assumed I had two adult daughters who didn't sleep until noon everyday."

"Well you thought wrong," Haley said from under the pillow, her voice muffled.

"I take it you don't want to come with us," Lydia stated.

"No, I don't," Haley confirmed.

Taylor pulled the pillow off Haley's head and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek. "See you later, you lush," she teased before she left the room.

777

When Haley finally woke up at 10:30, she crawled out of bed and went straight for the shower. She stood under the hot water for a good 30 minutes, letting it wash over her. Finally, she stepped out and toweled off, then got dressed. She had just put mousse in her hair and was about to turn the blow dryer on when she heard the doorbell ring. Her parents and Taylor were still out, and Haley was excited to see which sibling had arrived anyway, so she headed downstairs to greet them. She opened the door with a huge grin. When she saw who it was, it faltered. "Nathan," she said surprised.

"Haley," he said at the same time, sounding just as shocked as she was.

"How—how are you?" she asked, plastering the grin back on her face.

"I'm…OK," he told her. "And you?"

"I'm good," she said.

They stood there for a minute in an uncomfortable silence. "Should we hug?" she finally asked.

Nathan shrugged, unsure of what he should say.

Haley leaned in and hugged Nathan awkwardly, but as soon as his arms wrapped around her, any uneasiness she felt disappeared. Haley leaned closer and shut her eyes. She lifted one hand to his chest and gathered his shirt in her fist. She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. Nathan cleared his throat. "Haley?" he asked. "Are you _smelling_ me?"


	4. Chapter 4

Nathan Scott placed his suitcase on the bed and opened it, staring at the contents. He couldn't decide whether or not he should start unpacking. Haley had seemed OK with him being here, but he couldn't be certain. He hadn't seen her in years, so he wasn't sure if he could depend on his instincts when it came to her anymore. He finally decided to take his chances and started putting clothes in the drawers and toiletries on the top of the dresser. He smiled remembering Haley's welcome.

_"Haley?" he'd asked hesitantly. "Are you smelling me?"_

_He'd felt her laugh against his chest. "Yeah, Nathan, I'm smelling you," she'd admitted._

_"Why?"_

_She'd sighed. "Because it's familiar. And somehow…comforting." Then she'd leaned closer into him. "God, I've missed you," she said so softly that he was convinced he wasn't supposed to hear it. He'd pretended he hadn't. He'd just squeezed her closer to him._

Nathan hadn't planned to return to Tree Hill for the holidays, but when Lydia had assured him that Haley wasn't going to be here, he'd decided that one of them might as well be, so he'd booked a flight immediately and rescheduled all of his appointments with his lawyer. To say that he'd been surprised when Haley was the one who opened the door was an understatement. Stunned was a better word. His eyes had drunk in the sight of her. She was even more beautiful than he'd remembered. For one thing, her body had filled out even more, and she had the most amazing curves in the most perfect places. And her honey colored hair was longer now, curls cascading down over her shoulders. And the fact that it was still wet from her shower—well that just reminded him of one of the many fantasies he'd had about her over the years. He sighed, thinking about how pathetic it was that all this time he'd been carrying a torch for a woman he'd never even _dated_.

He lay down on the bed for just a minute, with his hands behind his head, his ankles crossed, looking up at the ceiling. He was still lying there thinking when there was a knock on the door. He moved to a sitting position. "Come in," he called.

The door opened and Haley poked her head in. "Are you all settled?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm all unpacked," he told her.

She nodded and stepped into the room. "Good," she said, clearing her throat. "I didn't know you were going to be here," she said.

He laughed softly. "Neither did I," he confessed. "It was kind of a last minute decision."

"I can't believe you got a flight last minute on Christmas Eve," she said in disbelief.

He grinned at her. "I'm a Celtic, Haley. I can get whatever I want."

Haley laughed. "How _is_ Boston treating you?" she asked, genuinely interested in what he'd been up to in the last few years. She'd kept up on his basketball career, but she didn't know anything about his personal life, except what her mother had told her in passing. And that wasn't much. She'd also read about him in the tabloids on occasion, but she wasn't inclined to believe anything she read in those things.

"Oh, I love it there," he said. "There's no place like Beantown."

She nodded. "Yeah, Boston _is _nice," she agreed. "I love going to The Cheesecake Factory," she remarked.

"How often do you come to Boston?" he asked, surprised.

She didn't really want to tell him that she went there several times a year, seeing as it wasn't far from where she lived in New Hampshire, so she shrugged her shoulders. "I've been there a few times," she lied. She didn't want to hurt his feelings about not having contacted him when she was there.

He nodded and then there was a short silence. "So, any chance you'll be sneaking into my room tonight, Haley J?" he teased.

Haley J. She hadn't heard that nickname in a long time. She grinned. "You wish, Number 23."

"As a matter of fact—" he continued, smirking.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Hungry?" she asked.

"You have no idea," he said standing up. "You gonna make me some lunch?"

"Haley special coming right up!" she confirmed, turning to leave the room.

He groaned, following her down the stairs. "Macaroni and cheese?" he whined.

"You will eat it, and you will _love _it," she instructed.

He sighed. "Whatever you say," he mocked, sitting down at the island in the kitchen. He watched her moving gracefully around the kitchen, grabbing the box of macaroni and cheese from the cupboard, and the milk and butter from the refrigerator. "So, where is everyone?" he asked, forcing himself to look away from her. _Gracefully?_ He rolled his eyes at himself, glad that she was back to him. _I'm such an idiot._

"Mom and Dad had to go to the mall to do some last minute Christmas shopping, and Taylor went with them," she told him.

"Tornado Taylor is home?" he asked, amused. Nathan was very aware of Taylor's spontaneous personality and all of the hot water it got her into. He'd even gone with Craig to bail her out of trouble a few times.

"It's definitely not going to be a boring visit, is it?" she joked over her shoulder.

"Not if Taylor's here," he agreed.

"Yeah, well, she got me _drunk_ last night," Haley told him.

Nathan laughed. "You're kidding!"

Haley shook her head. "Oh, no, I was quite…intoxicated."

"I would have _loved _to have seen that!"

"It wasn't pretty," she said, giggling. "But in my sister's defense, she really didn't have to twist my arm."

"When is Craig supposed to be here?" Nathan asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure," Haley told him, turning around now that she had the macaroni and cheese going on the stove top. "Mom told me when everyone was getting here, but it's hard to keep everyone's agendas straight. The only thing I knew for sure was that Taylor was coming yesterday."

The sound of the front door opening kept Nathan from responding. Haley put a finger to her lips, smiling. "I can't wait to see mom's face when she sees you," she whispered, grinning.

"Look—all I'm saying is that Haley needs some action in her life," they heard Taylor say from the other room. Nathan's eyes flew to Haley's face, and she was blushing. He grinned at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. "I mean—Mom, when do you think the last time she had any sex was?"

As Nathan's grin got wider, Haley got redder.

"Father in the room!" Jimmy reminded them loudly.

_Thanks, Dad,_ Haley thought. At least his comment had put a halt on that line of conversation.

"Or do you think she's still a virgin?"

Or not.

Nathan looked away from Haley, taking a deep breath as he remembered again how Haley had lost her innocence. He forced himself to look at her. "Haley—" he said tenderly.

She smiled softly. "I'm OK," she assured him.

He searched her expression for any trace of dishonesty but he didn't find it. Suddenly it dawned on him that Haley was telling the truth. He'd waited years to hear that she was OK, and now that he'd heard it, he physically felt a wave of relief wash over him. He returned her smile with one of his own, forcing himself to remain where he was even though his arms were itching to hold her.

The kitchen door flew open and Lydia walked in. "Is that macaroni and cheese I sme—" She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Nathan, then squealed. Nathan stood up and opened his arms, and Lydia James immediately ran straight into them, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Nathan," she said. "It is _so_ good to see you."

"What is all that noise?" Jimmy said, walking into the kitchen. Seeing Nathan, he realized what the commotion was for. "Nathan! Good to see you, son!"

Nathan smiled. "You, too, Mr. J."

Lydia pulled back and held onto his arms, looking him up and down. "You look good, Nathan. Doesn't he look good, Jimmy?" she asked her husband.

"He looks good, Lydia," Jimmy confirmed.

Taylor walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Nate," she said, not stopping as she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a can of soda. She walked over to the stove, and looking into the pan, made a face. "Eww, mac and cheese. I'm glad we stopped for lunch."

"Me, too," Jimmy agreed.

"I like Haley's macaroni and cheese," Nathan said, defending her.

Haley grinned. Nathan hated anyone's macaroni and cheese, including hers. He only ate it because he didn't have to cook it.

Haley's mom kissed her on the cheek. "Finally decided to drag your butt out of bed, huh?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Once. I get drunk once in like…five years, and I catch hell for it."

"This isn't hell, Honey," Lydia said. "It's just a bit of teasing," she grinned.

Haley rolled her eyes.

"Ready for round two tonight?" Taylor asked.

Haley's eyes flew to her sister's. "Are you kidding?" she asked.

Taylor pulled a bottle of Tequila out of the shopping bag on the island and smirked.

Haley shook her head. "You're on your own tonight, big sis."

Taylor laughed at that. "Help me wrap some presents?" she requested.

"Sure, after I have some lunch," Haley said.

777

Taylor was sitting on Haley's bed against the wall, all of her purchases in bags next to her. They'd left Nathan downstairs to catch up with their parents. Haley opened one bag, and then the next. Finally, after looking in all of the bags, she said, "I thought you wanted me to help you wrap some presents." She put her hands on her hips. "These are all already wrapped," she accused.

"I know," Taylor said distractedly.

"Tay?" Haley said, waving a hand in front of her sister's face.

"Hmmm?" Taylor said, finally looking up at Haley. "Thank God for complimentary gift-wrapping."

"Yeah," Haley said, still confused.

"So, here's the thing," Taylor started. "You need some action in your life."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Is that what you dragged me up here for?" she asked, sighing. "I already know that you think I need some action. I heard you all the way in the kitchen. And so did Nathan," she told her sister with a glare.

Taylor squealed. "You should sleep with him!"

Disbelieving laughter bubbled its way up Haley's throat. "What?"

"Oh, what? Like you don't think he's hot!"

"So not the point," Haley said. "He is practically a member of this family," she continued, although she'd never seen him that way.

"Practically being the operative word, little sis."

"Well, my operative word—is no! I'm not going to sleep with Nathan."

"But it would be fun!" Taylor exclaimed.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Then maybe you should sleep with him," she said nonchalantly._ I would __**claw**__ her eyes out!_

"No thanks. I like blondes," Taylor said. "Plus, you know...the whole boyfriend thing."

"This is so over the top, Taylor. Even for _you_."

"Haley, _please?"_ she begged.

"Tay, do you really think you're going to talk me into this?" Haley asked in disbelief. "I'm leaving the room now!"


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone currently at the James household was in the living room, scattered about, just chatting. The women were making plans for the following day, Lydia designating who was going to be doing what, and Jimmy was giving Nathan advice on his basketball when the doorbell rang. Haley, who was sitting on the floor at the coffee table jumped up. "I'm on it," she said, heading for the door. She threw it open, a smile already in place. She knew who it was when the doorbell rang.

Craig James dropped his suitcases at his side when he saw his youngest sister standing in front of him. He stepped into the living room, and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up off the floor. "Hey, baby girl," he said to her.

She laughed at his greeting. "I'm not a baby, anymore, Craig," she teased. And besides that, he was only ten months older than she was.

He put her down and pinched one of her cheeks. "You know you'll always be a baby to me," he told her. "Grab my suitcases," he instructed in true Craig fashion, walking further into the room. Lydia, Jimmy, and Nathan had all walked over to the door to welcome Craig. He hugged his mother and father, and when he got to Nathan, Nathan reached a hand out.

"Hey, bonus bro," Craig said, taking the hand he was shaking and pulling Nathan in for a hug. "What's with this hand-shaking crap?" he said.

Nathan laughed. "I'm not sure," he admitted as the two pulled apart.

Craig looked him in the eye. "Well, I don't like it. Families _hug_," he told Nathan, making it clear that he thought of him as nothing less than a brother. "None of this hand-shaking shit," he said in mock disgust.

Nathan laughed again. "Remind me again why I bothered to miss you," he told Craig.

Craig grinned. "Because I'm the hot one who attracts the chicks," he said. "That's right, I bring 'em in, and then let you have first pick," he ribbed. Craig knew it was exactly the opposite. He was good-looking, but standing next to Nathan Scott, it was as if he didn't exist to the female population. The two had always joked about it good-naturedly.

Craig looked over his shoulder and grinned as Haley tried to pick up one of his suitcases. He heard her grunt as she tried to lift one again. She looked over her shoulder. "Are we all getting bricks for Christmas?" she asked.

"_You're_ not getting anything," Craig said to Haley.

Nathan walked over and gently pushed her out of the way. "These are just his hair products," he said, grinning. "Let me help you with those, Haley J."

When Nathan effortlessly picked one up with each hand, Haley rolled her eyes and shut the door behind him. "Ridiculous." She returned to her place at the coffee table, next to Taylor, who, painting her nails hadn't even looked up.

Lydia took her coat from her son and hung it in the closet while the men walked into the living room. "Taylor James. What is going on with you?" Craig asked his sister, pretending to be perturbed that she hadn't acknowledged him yet.

Trying to perfect the nail on her index finger, she still didn't look up. "What do you mean?" she asked Craig.

"Your favorite brother walks in and you don't even acknowledge him?" he joked.

Taylor lifted her hand and blew on her fingernails. "Nathan is my favorite brother," she deadpanned. From the couch, Nathan was grinning from ear to ear.

"Take it back, Tay," Craig said threateningly.

Finally, Taylor looked up with a grin on her face. "No," she said.

"This is your last chance, Tay," he told her.

"Or what?" she pressed.

He walked over to where Taylor was sitting, and just as effortlessly as Nathan had picked up his luggage, Craig lifted his sister up and threw her over his shoulder.

Taylor started laughing. "Craig, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"You just wait," he said, carrying her up the stairs.

Haley rolled her eyes. "_Every single_ time those two get together," she grumbled, shaking her head. "It's so juvenile!"

A minute later, Craig came running down the stairs, with Taylor right behind him, soaking wet. "Jerk!" she yelled at him. "You'd better sleep with one eye open tonight!" she warned. Craig always had a special greeting for her when they saw each other. This year, it was a clothed shower. Haley used to envy their closeness, but that had all changed when Nathan had moved in.

777

Christmas Eve in the James household was not a big deal. It used to be when they were younger, but since the older three, Vivian, Quinn, and Michael had moved away and had children, they liked to be home so their kids could open their presents at home on Christmas morning. Now they'd made Christmas night their thing. The older three would pack up their kids, who woud bring their favorite Christmas toy with them, and they'd drive to Lydia and Jimmys' to spend the night. They'd have a big dinner, and Jimmy would read _'Twas the Night Before Christmas_ to all of them. A little backwards, since they'd already passed that, but it had been a tradition in the James' household for as long as Haley could remember.

Lydia and Jimmy had excused themselves an hour ago for bed, and the Haley was playing The Newlywed Game with Taylor, Craig, and Nathan. It was the only game that they'd been able to scrounge up. They'd purchased it a few years ago when Quinn and her husband had come home and their fifth wedding anniversary had fallen during that time. Haley and Nathan were on one team, and Taylor and Craig were on the other. Nathan and Haley were so far ahead that it was apparent to all of them that there was no way Taylor and Craig would ever catch up. "I can't believe you know so little about me!" Taylor said, hitting Craig on the arm.

Craig threw his hands up in the air. "Well, I'm sorry that I didn't know that if you could die and come back as a dog, then you'd come back as a pit bull!"

"I should think _that _would be obvious," Haley scoffed, taking a sip of her wine.

Taylor threw her sister a dirty look, then smiled sweetly and folded her hands in front of her. "Well, let's analyze your game, shall we?" she asked.

_OK, so this is going to equal trouble, _Haley thought.

"Taylor, it's not that big of a deal. It's just a game," she said, trying to evade the questions that were sure to come.

"_For_ example, Nathan," she insisted. "How did you know that Haley's favorite piece of sleepwear would be her old Duke t-shirt?"

_Because it used to be mine,_ he thought, but instead of saying that, he shrugged his shoulders. "Lucky guess," he said. He had had no idea that Haley favored the Duke t-shirt he'd given her the night before he left for college. He hadn't even known she still _had_ it.

Haley took a deep breath. "Tay—enough. Let's call this game a draw," she said. "It was a crazy idea anyway."

Taylor shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. How about a game of I never," she challenged.

Haley, Craig and Nathan all groaned. "This game _never_ ends well," Craig protested.

"_I _never…" she gave Nathan a flirty look, "won an MVP award in the NBA."

Nathan took a drink of his beer, all the while thinking how grateful he was that Haley had been the one to live at home while he was here and not Taylor.

"I never," Nathan looked pointedly at Craig, "slept with Melissa Martin in her father's pick up truck. While he ran into the store for groceries."

"You did not!" Haley exclaimed, her eyes flying to her brother. She watched him as he took a sip of his beer. "Oh, God, you did," she said weakly, putting a hand to her forehead.

Craig looked at Taylor, the initiator of the game. "_I _never stole mom and dad's car and then blamed it on Haley," Craig said.

Taylor rolled her eyes and took a drink of her Margarita, making Haley nervous. Taylor was already buzzing. And while it was fun last night, Haley was incredibly nervous about what Taylor might say in front of Nathan based on their conversation earlier today.

"_I _never slept with Adam Tilley," Taylor said, meeting Haley's eyes challengingly.

Haley looked down. "Aren't you going to take a drink, Haley?" she taunted.

Haley lifted her eyes to her sisters. "How did you find out?" she asked softly.

"You _slept _with Adam?" Craig said angrily. "You only went out with him once!"

Haley gave her head a single shake to clear it, and then looked at Taylor again. "Where did you hear that?" she asked again.

"Oh, come on," Taylor said, slurring slightly to confirm Haley's suspicion of her sisters intoxication. "Guys _talk_. I went to high school with Adam's older brother and I ran into him today when I was returning our movie." She shrugged nonchalantly. "He mentioned it to me." She grinned cunningly. "But don't worry. He said you were a tigress in bed. Said he even had the claw marks to prove it."

Haley looked over at Nathan and saw that his jaw was ticking. She had to stop this conversation now, before things were said that she didn't want known. She rubbed her temples. "Game over, Tay," she announced.

"Oh, what? Little innocent Haley isn't so innocent, is she?" Taylor teased. "I also never slept with a nightlight after I turned five," she said dryly, still looking at her sister.

Haley felt Nathan's eyes fly to her face, but she refused to look at him. Instead, she stood up and gathered her glass along with a few of the guy's empty beer bottles and headed for the kitchen. Luckily, she didn't have enough hands to carry all of them, so Nathan seized the opportunity and picked up the rest of them, following her into the kitchen.

Haley was emptying the last drops of one of the beer bottles into the sink. "I thought you said you were OK," he said, almost accusingly.

She turned around and crossed her arms. "I _am_ OK," she insisted.

"Why the nightlight?" he pressed.

"Because it's comforting. Nathan—I'm not scared. I'm just a 24 year old female who lives alone."

"How could he say those things?" Nathan whispered.

Haley smiled softly at him. "He can say whatever he wants, Nathan, but I know the truth."

"No! He _can't_ say whatever he wants," he said vehemently.

Haley took a couple steps toward him, placing her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him. "Nathan, Taylor and Craig are in the next room and I really don't want them to know about this."

"I'm sorry," he said, lowering his voice. He reached out and pulled her to his chest. "Are you _really_ OK?" he asked.

He felt her nod. "Yes, I'm _really_ OK," she told him. "I can't tell you that I never think about it, because that would be a lie, but I _am_ OK, Nathan."

He stroked her hair. "Good," he said feelingly.

Haley pulled away and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm going to bed now." She grinned softly. "I'd hate to think that Santa didn't come because I didn't fall asleep," she teased. "Good-night, Nathan."

"Good night, Haley," he said, smiling sadly.

With that, she went upstairs. When she walked into her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned up against it, sighing heavily. She rested her head on her chin for a minute trying to get herself to relax. When she lifted her head again, something bright green on her crisp white pillowcase caught her eye.

She slowly walked to the bed and smiled when she realized what it was. She picked up the neatly folded Boston Celtics t-shirt and pulling it closer to her nose, inhaled its scent. It was the t-shirt Nathan had been wearing earlier today when he'd arrived. She smiled as she realized he must have sprayed a tiny bit of his cologne on it. And while she liked that smell, it was _his _smell that she loved.

_Good thing,_ she thought grinning. It was almost time to retire her ratty old Duke t-shirt.


	6. Chapter 6

_Nathan lifted his head off his pillow and looked up at the gleam of light caused by __the__ open__ing of his bedroom__ door. "Haley?" he said, confused._

_"Hi," she said softly, walking into the room wearing his Celtics t-shirt. It came down to just above her knees. _

_"What are you doing?" he asked, as she walked toward him. _

_She smiled softly__. "I was thinking that we could finish what we started the night before you left for college__," she told him.__ She pulled the blanket back and Nathan's chest was bare. He lay there wearing only a pair of red and black plaid pajama bottoms._

_"Do you really think that's a good idea?" he said._

_"No. I think it's a __**fantastic**__ idea," she said. She pulled the t shirt up on her thighs, and put a knee on the bed. She put __her other knee__ over his midsection and __on__ the other side at his waist so she was sitting on his stomach.__ Skin on skin, he thought, surprised at the feel of her._

_He took a sharp breath. "Haley, you're not wearing any panties," he said__, reaching up under the__ t-shirt__ he'd given her earlier__ and gently __stroking__ her hips._

_She grinned wickedly and leaned toward him, her long hair tickling his chest as she did. "You don't miss a beat, do you?" she teased a second before her mouth captured his in a hungry kiss. It only took the feel of h__er lips on hi__s for him to spring into action. In one swift motion, he had her on her back, one hand still stroking __her hip, the other one taking one of her hands and lacing her fingers through his__. The sound of a knock caused him to pull away. _

_"__Go away!" he practically growled, returning his attention to Haley, who was whimpering with each stroke of his hand. __But the knocking persisted. _

_"__Nathan?" he heard Taylor say from the other side of the door. _

Taylor? _What the hell?_ Nathan sat up quickly, breathing heavily. _**Some **dream_, he thought, trying to even his breathing. He lay back down on his pillow and remained as still as stone. The knocking started again. _OK, so that part hadn't been a dream. _

"Nathan?" he heard Taylor say again, softly.

He closed his eyes, hoping she'd go away if she thought he was sleeping. No such luck.

He heard the door open and then the sound of footsteps as Taylor walked in. He felt his bed shift as she sat down beside him. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "Nathan?" she whispered.

He slowly opened his eyes and forced himself to hold back a sigh. "Hey, Tay. What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

She gave him a grin that he was sure she thought was sexy. It wasn't. "What are you willing to offer?" she teased.

Nathan shrugged. "An ear if you need someone to listen."

"Not the body part I had in mind," she said with a slow grin.

Nathan sat up and shook his head. "Not gonna happen, Tay," he said firmly.

"Why don't I believe you?" she asked.

He shrugged again. "I'm not sure. But it's the truth."

She looked down. "It's because of Haley, isn't it?" she accused.

Nathan shook his head. "No. It's because of _you_," he told her. "She's your sister Taylor, and you made that announcement in front of her brother and me. Don't you think that was embarrassing for her?"

Taylor nodded her head. "Yes, but do you know what I noticed?"

Nathan took a deep breath. "What's that?" he asked, not wanting to know the answer, but knowing he had to humor her.

"You weren't surprised at all. You knew," she said shrewdly.

"It's no secret that Haley and I are friends," Nathan said.

"But you want more," Taylor stated. She stood up. "I'll tell you what. What I offered—isn't off the table. Haley never has to know if you don't want her to. I'm going to come back in half an hour, and if you've changed your mind, great. If not, oh well. But I have a feeling I'll be seeing you before that. My door is the third one on the right," she reminded him.

She finally stood up and left, closing the door behind her.

"Shit!" Nathan whispered. He lay there for another ten minutes, debating in his head what course of action he was going to take. Finally, Nathan threw the covers off and stood up, slowly walking across the room. He stealthily opened the door and stepped out. He looked down the hall, and the door to Taylor's room was closed. He sighed in relief, and then lifted his eyes to the closed door directly across from his. He stood there for a minute and ran a hand through his hair.

_Jimmy James opened his bedroom door and watched as Haley padded softly across the hall, from Nathan's room to her own, quietly closing the door behind her. Nathan's bedroom door opened again, and Nathan walked out, heading for the bathroom. Jimmy walked out and cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest. He gazed at Nathan, who had stopped in his tracks, looking much like a deer caught in the headlights. "We took you in because you needed a place to stay, Nathan," Jimmy stated._

_Nathan cleared his throat. "Yes, sir," he said._

_"And I would hate to think that you'd repay us by taking advantage of our daughter."_

_"I would never—" Nathan started._

_Jimmy nodded, not letting Nathan finish his sentence. "I didn't think so, son, but I had to be sure."_

_Jimmy must have trusted Nathan, because after that night, Haley still crept into his room without fail each night. But Jimmy never said another word, and Nathan knew that he'd never break this man's trust._

Nathan sighed at the memory, and then, closing the door behind him, he crossed the hallway. He knocked softly, and then opened the door. "Haley?" he said softly, walking in and closing the door behind him. The bathroom door connecting her room to Craig's was open with the light on. He softly closed it so there was just a little bit of light bathing the room. Haley pushed herself up on one elbow and opened only one eye, as if the light was too much for her to take. Nathan thought she looked adorable. He grinned at her.

"What are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

He walked over to the bed and crouched down so he was face to face with her. "I need protection," he told her.

"But…I don't have any condoms," she said, not understanding him.

He grinned and leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. He couldn't resist when she was laying there all rumpled from sleep. "Not _that_ kind of protection," he told her. She sat up all the way, letting the blankets fall from her chest. She was wearing his Celtics t-shirt. _I wonder if she's wearing any panties,_ he thought before he could stop himself. _Shit!_ This idea didn't seem as good now as it did a minute ago. Nathan swallowed, trying to snuff out his desire. It didn't work.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Taylor," he said dryly.

Haley started off with just a little giggle, but then it turned into full-fledged laughter. Nathan's arm reached out and he put his hand over her mouth, then, leaning forward rested his forehead on hers. "Sshh!" he warned. "She's coming back into my room in a few minutes to see if I've changed my mind," he said.

She only laughed harder. "I can't believe Taylor happened to you!" she said between bouts of hilarity.

He grinned at her amusement. "Yeah, well, that makes two of us. I have side-stepped that land mine for _years _and then tonight—boom! Right in my face," he said.

"Shut the door and climb in," she told him, still laughing.

He walked to the bathroom door and before closing it all the way, looked over his shoulder. "Can I shut the light off?" he asked, turning to look at her. Haley bit her bottom lip and nodded her head yes. Nathan snapped the light off, and then walked over to the bed. He crawled over her so he was closest to the wall and then climbed under the covers. He could feel Haley's feet through his pajama bottoms. They were cold as ice. "Geez, Haley J. What did you do? Put blocks of ice in bed with you tonight?" he asked, half hoping she'd say yes. He needed some right about now.

She giggled again.

He reached down and took one of her feet in both of his hands, rubbing it until it felt warm, and then did the same with the other one. "Some things never change," he said with a sigh.

"What are you going to do when Taylor doesn't find you in your room and knocks on my door?" Haley asked.

"I'm going to tell her that there's no room for her in here," he said.

Haley laughed. "That's not true. She could crawl right in between us," she said.

Nathans arm snaked out and pulled her back against his chest. "Not anymore," he said, deciding that he liked his hand where it was and leaving it draped around her waist.

"She's going to be mad," Haley predicted.

"If we're lucky, she's passed out," he said wryly.

Haley reached down to his hand and took it in hers, lacing her fingers through his. Nathan's whole body stiffened and he took a sharp breath as he remembered his dream. "You OK?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied.

"Good," she said, snuggling closer to him.

_Oh, sweet Lord, _he thought._ If she comes any closer…_ Luckily Haley stopped where she was and Nathan sighed in relief.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Are you sure you're OK?" she repeated.

"Yeah," he lied again.

Nathan Scott was far from OK. He was in bed with Haley James—and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.


	7. Chapter 7

Even though it was only six o'clock in the morning, Jimmy James was all showered and dressed. He was sitting on top of the covers in bed reading the latest issue of Sports Illustrated while Lydia, always cold, was sitting up with her pillows behind her back, all covered up and knitting. "All I'm saying is that Haley and Nathan would be perfect for each other. I don't know why I didn't think of it before," she said excitedly.

Jimmy sighed, closing his magazine—Nathan smiling up at him from the cover. "Honey, promise me you won't meddle," he said.

"Do you really want me to make a promise that I'm going to have to break?" she said, giving her husband a pleading look.

"Well, you don't _have_ to break it," he said.

"I'm just saying, Haley doesn't think Nathan's coming, and suddenly she changes her mind and books a flight. Then, Nathan doesn't think Haley's coming, and he shows up. They're obviously avoiding each other for some reason. There has to be some…_heat_ or something there," she said.

Jimmy rolled his eyes at his wife's wild imagination.

She lifted her eyes to her husbands. "You don't think anything ever happened while he was living here, do you?"

"No," Jimmy told his wife certain that if anything had happened between Haley and Nathan; it hadn't been under this roof.

She held up the sweater she'd been working on. "How's it look?" he asked.

"It's beautiful," he said, and meant it. His wife's knitting had become much better in recent years.

"Haley's going to love it!" she said. "Remember how much she loved that poncho I made her when she was in high school?" she asked.

Jimmy almost choked on his coffee, but quickly recovered. He didn't want to hurt his wife's feelings, but that poncho was one of the most hideous things he'd ever seen. But Haley, ever thoughtful, had graciously accepted it and worn it without complaint, even oohing and aahing over it. "She _did _love it," he lied, getting up off the bed. "I'm going to start breakfast. The kids should be getting up soon," he said. He opened the door and then softly closed it behind him. He heard his wife turn the radio on as he left the room and start singing along to Christmas music and he grinned. She definitely couldn't sing, but he loved that she tried. He had taken one step away from the door when Haley's bedroom door opened and Nathan, not seeing him, walked out, then slowly turned around and closed the door behind him. He started walking softly to his own room. "Hello, Nathan," Jimmy said, taking a sip of his coffee as if nothing were out of the ordinary. He saw Nathan jump.

"Uhh…good morning, Mr. James," Nathan said nervously, no doubt feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"Is it?" Jimmy asked nonchalantly. "I hadn't noticed." He started walking toward the stairs.

"Mr. James," Nathan said. "Haley and I—"

"Are adults," Jimmy said, cutting him off.

"Yes, but I don't want you to think…" he uncomfortably searched for the right words. "Haley would never—"

"But you would?" Jimmy asked, getting a kick out of Nathan's unease. Nathan had promised years ago that he would never take advantage of Haley in Jimmy's house, and maybe he'd been naïve, but he'd believed the boy. He still did, in fact.

"That's not what I meant!" Nathan said quickly.

Jimmy turned around and rested the hand that wasn't holding the coffee cup on Nathan's shoulder. He almost laughed out loud when Nathan flinched as he reached for him. "Relax, Nathan," he said, turning around and going down the stairs, thinking all the while that maybe his wife's imagination wasn't so wild.

Nathan sighed in relief and bolted for his own room.

777

Later that morning, after they'd eaten breakfast and opened presents, Haley and Nathan were walking the streets of Tree Hill, delivering tins of goodies to the elderly people who lived in her parents' neighborhood. It was something that her mother did every year without fail. They were on their last tin, and it was to be delivered to Mrs. Willaker. She was Haley's favorite person on the entire block. When Haley had been a little girl and her parents were working, she'd go to Mrs. Willaker's after school and there had always been a plate of fresh cookies and milk waiting for her there.

"I don't understand how you can _not_ be mad at her," Nathan said.

Haley laughed. "Nathan, she didn't _know," _she reminded him.

"Still…to announce it in front of your brother and me…" he trailed off.

"Taylor is…well, she's _Taylor._ And as long as you can remember that, you can take her in stride," Haley reasoned.

"I guess, " Nathan said, unconvinced.

"She didn't know what she was doing," Haley defended her sister. "Look, Nathan, I love you for worrying about me, but I'm fine."

Nathan didn't respond. He was too busy reflecting on her admission of love. He knew she meant it only in an innocent way, but for one second, Nathan let himself wonder what it would be like if she'd told him she loved him the way that he wanted her to.

He imagined what it would be like if it were just the two of them at his penthouse for Christmas, the blinking lights on the Christmas tree, the flames flickering in the fireplace, the snow on the windows…and then eventually…the steam. _Dammitt!_ he thought. Trying to keep Haley clothed in his mind was nearly impossible. Especially after sleeping next to her last night. She was softness and sweetness all rolled into one. And now she was walking beside him chattering unknowingly away while he was right beside her, guilty of imagining what it would be like to peel all those layers of clothing off her and make love to her right here…well, not right here, but somewhere close. Nathan forced himself to listen as she told him a story about cookies and the last house they were visiting.

"Well, this is it," Haley announced, stopping in front of the house, looking up at the big, brick structure. She took a deep breath and then headed up the walkway, with Nathan right behind her.

"She lives in this big house all alone?" Nathan asked, feeling sorry for the elderly lady that he hadn't even met yet. All his years in Tree Hill and he had never even seen her. That he knew of. He suddenly felt guilty again and wished he'd paid more attention to Haley's story.

Haley nodded. "Yeah. But her son and his family usually come to visit her," she said, ringing the doorbell. They were waiting for almost two minutes before a woman leaning on a walker opened the door. "Hi, Mrs. Willaker!" Haley said smiling brightly. It was obvious that she adored the woman.

"Well if it isn't little Miss Haley James. Come on in, dear," the woman said. "Who is this handsome young man?" she asked, noticing Nathan.

He grinned at her, liking her immediately. "I'm Nathan," he said, reaching out and taking her hand in both of his, gently shaking it.

"Well, it sure is nice to meet you, Nathan," she said to him. "Take your coats off," she told them, and then, "would you like some hot chocolate?" she asked politely.

"We'd love some hot chocolate, Mrs.Willaker," Haley said. "I'll make it, though. You just have a seat in your recliner." Instead of obeying, she slowly followed Haley into the kitchen, Nathan behind her the entire time, keeping a sharp eye on her so she wouldn't fall. He helped her sit down at the table, and then sat down himself, watching Haley as she went about preparing their hot beverages, chatting idly all the while. "So, is your son on his way?" Haley asked as she brought all three mugs of hot chocolate over to the table. After distributing them, she sat down.

Mrs. Willaker shook her head. "No," she said, seemingly unaffected. Nathan wondered if the charming old woman was putting on a brave face for Haley. "He went to visit his wife's family this year," she told them.

"Oh," Haley said. Nathan could tell that she was devastated that Mrs. Willaker was all alone on Christmas day, but she tried to hide it behind a smile. He reached under the table and squeezed her knee. She looked over and smiled softly at him.

Mrs. Willaker waved her hand. "It's not a big deal," she said, and then smiled. "When you get to be my age, you've seen enough Christmas' to know what it's all about."

Nathan watched Haley as she swallowed past the lump of disappointment in her throat, then he stood up. Enough was enough. Letting Haley be disappointed on Christmas was not something that Nathan was willing to allow. "Mrs. Willaker, you're spending Christmas with us," he announced.

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly," she refused.

"Yes, you could," he said softly. He looked back at Haley and her eyes were shining. _That's better,_ he thought. "I'm gonna go get your dad's Yukon," he told her.

"But—" Mrs. Willaker started.

He leaned forward and put a hand on Mrs. Willaker's shoulder. "Unless you'd prefer a piggy back ride," he teased.

The older woman smiled. "A Yukon will be just fine," she said quietly.

777

As Nathan looked around the table, he had never been more thankful for the James family. If it hadn't been for Haley walking in on him in her brother's bedroom that day, there was no telling where he would have ended up. He could have easily spent Christmas alone, just like Mrs. Willaker had almost done. Instead, he was spending it with the rowdiest crowd he knew. He smiled to himself. "Who would like to say grace?" Jimmy asked from the head of the table.

Nathan cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I'd like to," he said softly.

Jimmy grinned at Nathan and nodded, then bowed his head. As Nathan said grace, he was overcome with emotions he'd never felt before. So far, this was turning out to be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Well, except maybe for the Taylor thing. He finished up, and then everyone started filling their plates. He leaned over to Haley, who he somehow _always_ got placed next to. "Did you make your pumpkin pie?" he whispered to her.

Haley grinned. "Yes, I did," she whispered back.

She laughed as Nathan broke out in a grin and rubbed his midsection. "I can't wait," he told her.

Lydia looked at her daughter and Nathan and smiled. As she started looking away, her eyes met her husbands, and he gave her a warning look. She looked away and picked up her wine glass, taking a sip. She was glad she hadn't promised him not to meddle. It would be virtually impossible now.


	8. Chapter 8

"…Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night," Jimmy James said, closing the book.

Haley smiled, taking in the scene before her and the sounds around her. All of the lights were out in the living room, the only thing illuminating the area was the glow of the Christmas tree lights. Somewhere in the background, she heard the phone ring and her mother answer with a 'hello.' Everyone was sitting on the floor, the living room furniture having been moved to the outskirts of the room to accommodate all of them. Ten month old Sadie was sitting on Haley's lap, and surprise, surprise—Nathan was sitting right next to her—at Lydia's insistence. Every time one of her nieces or nephews got too close to him, Nathan would stiffen right up, as if he could go unnoticed. Haley had to keep biting her lip from smiling or worse—laughing. When four year old Mitchell had been running around and fallen into Nathan's lap, Haley had watched as he'd visibly flinched. She bit down on her lip once again to keep from laughing at the thought, but this time she failed to hide her smile.

"What are you grinning at?" Nathan leaned over and whispered. When Sadie looked up at him with her big brown eyes, Nathan straightened immediately.

"Did anyone tell you that the kids don't have cooties?" she teased.

Nathan frowned at that. "I don't believe it for a second," he said, playing along. "I saw that one over there," he pointed to another of Haley's nephews, "scratching himself earlier."

Haley laughed. "Nathan, they're kids."

"Yes, but they might as well be Greek," he told her. "I don't understand them."

"There's nothing to understand. Here," she said, gently lifting Sadie and placing her in Nathan's lap to prove her point. He leaned back so that Sadie had to keep her own balance and couldn't lean up against him. Her lower lip immediately puckered out, and Nathan hesitantly lifted one of his hands, patting her on the head as if she were a dog.

"It's…um…OK," he told the little girl, not sounding at all confident of that fact. When Sadie started wailing, he looked up and saw that most of the eyes in the room were on him. He looked at Haley pleadingly and she took Sadie back. As soon as the little girl was back in her Aunt's lap, she stopped crying. Haley sat there with delight all over her face. She certainly was enjoying his uneasiness.

Nathan sighed in relief. _That's better,_ he thought. The rest of the James clan had arrived around two this afternoon. Quinn and her husband had been the last to arrive, as this holiday had been extra hectic for them. They'd just moved back to North Carolina three weeks ago. When it was just Haley, Craig, and Taylor around, Nathan felt relaxed. But throw in Quinn, Vivian, and Blake, and that comfort disappeared. He had never known the older siblings very well, as they'd had their own lives by the time the he'd arrived on the scene.

The doorbell rang, and just as Nathan was about to jump up and get it, Lydia said, "Haley, honey, could you get that?"

"Mom, you're standing right there," Haley said puzzled. At her father's stern glance, she placed Sadie back in Nathan's lap and jumped up. She sighed and walked to the door, then threw it open. When she saw the person on the other side, she gave a shriek that could have woken the dead. "Lucas Eugene Scott!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at his chest. His arms immediately went around his best friend on the planet for a suck-the-breath-out-of-you hug. Laughing, she finally pulled away. "What are you doing here?" She slapped him on the arm. "You said you weren't coming home for Christmas!" she accused.

"So did you," he shot back.

"Yes, but plans change," she told him.

Her mother standing there staring at them caught her eye. Clearly she'd known who was on the other side of the door. She smiled in thanks at her.

"That they do, Hales. Speaking of which, before I come in, can we walk and talk?" he said seriously.

"Is everything OK?" she asked, searching her best friends' eyes. 'Walk and talk' had been their thing when they were younger. They'd walk down the street—sometimes for hours, chatting with each other about what was going on in their lives. When they'd hit high school, they didn't have as much time for each other, and their walks and talks had become less frequent. Usually only when one of them was having a crisis and needed the other's help.

Lucas grinned. "Don't panic. Everything is fine," he assured her knowingly. "No need to start babbling."

She sighed in relief. "OK, good. Let me get my coat," she said, turning around and walking to the closet directly across from the front door. She pulled her pea coat out and put it on, buttoning it up. "I'll be back in a little bit," she said.

"Where are you going?" Nathan called nervously.

Haley grinned as she saw that Nathan was still holding Sadie and that she wasn't crying. He was holding her by the waist so that she was standing up facing him. She had a hand on each side of his head, pulling at his hair. He looked absolutely adorable. "I'm running off with your brother," she teased. "We'll be back shortly."

"Hales—" Nathan said as she shut the door behind her.

"So, how's your Christmas going?" Lucas asked.

"It's going good," Haley said, putting her hands in her pockets as they walked down the front walk. They took a left at the end of her driveway and continued walking. "How is yours?" she asked.

"It's the best ever," he told her.

Haley grinned. "Better than the year my mom made us those _gorgeous _matching ponchos?"

Lucas groaned and laughed at the same time. "Oh, God. That was a horrendous year!" he said.

Haley pulled her hand out and smacked him on the arm. "Lucas Scott, you have never had a gift made with so much love!" she told him.

He smiled at her. "No, I don't think I have," he agreed.

"My poor mom was so desperate for me to have a female best friend that she tried to turn you into one." There was a pause and she sighed. "So, I'm dying over here to find out what your news is," she confessed.

"It's been like three minutes since I told you I have news, Haley!"

"Yeah, the longest three minutes of my life!" she said exaggeratedly.

Lucas laughed again then sighed. "I ran into Brooke Davis last weekend."

"What?!" Haley exclaimed, grabbing his arm. She pulled him to a stop. "OK, so that definitely merits a halt in our walking. What…was it like?"

"It was…intense," he admitted.

"Well, obviously. You guys haven't seen each other since that night we graduated. On the river court. Remember?"

He nodded.

"You were with Peyton, and Brooke had just had sex with Chase in the back of his car. Or was it hers?" she questioned out loud.

"She _slept _with the clean teen?" he said, surprised.

Haley nodded. "Have you ever known Brooke to date anyone and not sleep with them?" she asked amused. "So, how _is_ Miz Brooke Davis doing? Still saving the world one fashion victim at a time?"

Lucas cleared his throat. "It's not Davis anymore."

"Get out! She got married?"

"Yep," Lucas said.

"To who?" Haley questioned.

Lucas slowly pulled his left hand out of his pocket and held it up. At the sight of the shiny gold band with flecks of diamond on his ring finger, Haley grabbed Lucas' hand and pulled it in for a closer inspection.

"You…you got married?" she asked in disbelief. "To _Brooke Davis_?"

"Yeah, I did," he told her defensively, pulling his hand away from her and putting it back in his jeans pocket.

"Oh my God!" Haley said, stomping her foot. "And I told you she slept with Chase? What kind of an idiot am I?" she asked.

"The cutest kind," Lucas said affectionately, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. "So, anyway, I've already caught hell from my mom, so…I don't need it from you, too."

"Are you kidding? If I was a guy, I'd high-five you! Not only is she hot as hell, but Luke! It's about damn time. You guys have been playing cat and mouse for years!"

Lucas laughed. "Cat and mouse?"

Haley grinned. "So, where is she?"

"She's at Peyton and Jake's," he told her.

"Brooke? Around all of those kids?" she said, laughing, and then stopped short. "Wait! Is she pregnant?" Haley asked. "Is that why you got married?"

"What? Haley! No!" Lucas thought for a minute. "Well, maybe, but if she is, she's only a week along, so it's too early to tell. If she's more pregnant than that, it's not mine. Maybe it's Chases'" he said dryly.

"I'm really sorry about that, Lucas," Haley said.

He shrugged. "It's OK. It actually _was _kind of funny."

"So, how did it _happen_?"

"We…were in Vegas. I was there for a book signing, and she was there for a fashion show for her line. We had dinner, and…then we made love. I said, 'I could do this every night for the rest of my life.' She said she could, too. So I said, 'Why don't we?' And she said…'OK.' And…that's pretty much that," he told her, then shrugged. "Elvis was our witness at some cheesy chapel, and the rest is history."

Haley frowned. "That's not very romantic."

"Oh, but it was," Lucas said. "It was the most romantic night of my life," he told her.

Haley grinned at the wistfulness in her best friends' voice. "So, how long _are_ the newlyweds here for?" she teased.

Lucas sighed. "Another week. Mom insists on throwing us a reception, so we're going to stick it out. Will you come?"

"Ummm…I'm supposed to leave in three days," she told him.

He looked pleadingly at her.

She slapped him on the arm. "But you and Brooke Davis Scott? I wouldn't miss this for the world!" she told him.

He grinned. "Good. I'm really going to need you there, Haley. You and Nathan."

"I'm sure he wouldn't miss this," she said. "You and Brooke? It's better than Brad and Jen." He glared at her and she patted his arm. "I'm sure it'll end better, too," she assured him.

He laughed. "Great. And now, there's only one order of business left," Lucas said matter-of-factly.

While she was definitely happy for her best friend—after all, he'd loved Brooke for years—she was still reeling from the news. "And what's that?" she asked, only half listening.

"Making you my sister-in-law."


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's note: I just wanted to say thanks so much to all of you who are taking the time to read and review. As I was perusing my profile the other day, I realized that I had disabled the ability for anyone to leave anonymous reviews. I have now enabled this feature, so if you are an anonymous reader and want to leave a review, that would be wonderful. I love reviews! _

Nathan caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and laughed at himself. His hair was sticking straight out on both sides from where little Sadie had been tugging on it. He ran a hand down each side of his head, smoothing his hair out. He opened the bathroom door and walked into Craig's room—and froze in his tracks. "Uhh…hello," he said to the three James sisters sitting on Craig's bed.

Taylor grinned at him and waved. Quinn just sat there, one leg crossed over the other, swinging her foot. Vivian, always the one to take charge, spoke up. "So, you slept in Haley's room last night, huh?" she accused.

"Uhh…" he said nervously. _Why the hell isn't Haley back yet?_

Taylor looked down at her fingernails as if she was studying them. "Don't bother to deny it," she told him. "I was the one who told them."

"OK. I won't. I guess I'm curious to know why all of you think it's your business, though," Nathan said. He was trying to act calm, but he wasn't. _What the heck did they want?_

"So, just what _are_ your intentions with our baby sister?" Vivian queried.

_Note to self: Don't ask any more questions that you don't want the answer to. _Nathan cleared his throat and put his hands in his pockets so he wouldn't fidget. "Actually, my intention was to get away from Taylor," he said honestly.

Quinn started laughing. "Geez, Taylor, what the hell did you do to the poor guy?" she asked.

"I just propositioned him," she defended herself. "And I didn't even use all of my charm," she said. "Otherwise, he _so_ would have been in my room last night."

Nathan scoffed then straightened at Taylor's warning look.

"So?" Vivian asked, prompting Nathan to answer her question.

"Haley and I are just friends," he told Vivian.

"Uh-huh. And how many female sleepovers do you have?" she asked.

"Do you really expect an answer to that question?" he asked. The look she gave him let him know that indeed she did. He sighed. "None," he said. And it was true. Whenever he decided that he needed some female company, they always went to her place so he could immediately leave when they were done, but still, those times were few and far between.

"Are you sleeping with her?" Quinn asked.

"Are you serious?" Nathan returned.

Three sets of female eyes rested him. He shifted uncomfortably then removed his hands from his pockets. It was no use. He was going to have to fidget. He rubbed his sweaty palms up and down his thighs. He watched as Quinn's eyes watched his every movement and then she licked her lips. His eyes widened and he shoved his hands back in his pockets. She immediately busted out laughing. "Wow. He _does_ scare easily, Tay."

"I'm going back downstairs now," he said, moving to the door.

"I see the way you look at her," Vivian said softly.

Nathan stopped but didn't turn around. "And how do I look at her?" he asked.

"Like you can't get enough of her. You hang on her every word, Nathan."

He spun around. "I do not!" he protested, then realized his mistake. He swallowed audibly.

"How long have you been in love with her?" Quinn asked.

"Who says I'm in love with her?" he asked.

Quinn nodded her head at Taylor. "She does. And if Tay can see it, then it must be true. She doesn't notice anything."

"I do, too!" Taylor whined, slapping her sister lightly on the back of her head.

"So? _Are_ you in love with her?" Vivian asked.

"I'm not sure what this conversation was meant to accomplish, but if it was to piss me off, it worked," Nathan said shortly, exiting the room. He ran into Craig in the hallway. He grabbed Nathan's arm to stop him, then looked around.

"Hey, I just want to warn you, my sisters are plotting to gang up on you," he told Nathan.

"Gee, thanks," Nathan said dryly, continuing on his way.

"Oh, shit!" he heard Craig say when he walked into his bedroom.

777

"OK, so…get ready for chaos," Haley warned Lucas as she opened the front door of her house.

Lucas laughed. "Just like old times," he joked.

They walked in, and Lucas was immediately swarmed with various members of the James family. He'd known them for as long as he and Haley had been best friends, and he was so grateful to them. Had it not been for them, Nathan would have had to spend another year in their father's house, and the two of them would never have gotten to know each other. So, as far as Lucas was concerned, it was the James family who'd brought them together, Haley in particular.

He'd taken his ring off his hand to avoid anyone realizing he'd gotten married. He wanted to be the one to tell Nathan himself. He'd broadcast it to the rest of Haley's family later. When he had been welcomed by almost every single member of the family and been introduced to the new ones, he and Nathan finally walked through the kitchen and out onto the back porch. Nathan grabbed them each a bottle of beer on the way.

"So, little brother, how ya been?" he asked, as he took a beer from Nathan.

Nathan grinned. "No complaints from me. And you, big brother?" he asked, taking a sip of his beer. Nathan was so thankful to the James family. Lucas and Haley had been friends for a long time before Nathan had moved in, and they'd made no bones about the fact that Lucas was also considered part of this family, and the way that Nathan had treated him up until that point would no longer be tolerated, so he had let up on his older brother. But the truth was—the more he'd gotten to know him, the more he'd liked him. And he couldn't help it. After all, Lucas had chosen Haley for his best friend. As far as Nathan was concerned, that spoke volumes about him.

Lucas grinned. "I have some news," he said.

"Yeah, what's that?"

Lucas cleared his throat. "I got married," he announced to his brother.

"Really?" Nathan said, straightening. He grinned. "Who's the unlucky girl?"

Lucas grinned again. "That's the best part." He paused for effect. "Brooke Davis," he finally said.

"Who?" Nathan asked, sure he'd heard wrong.

"You heard me," Lucas said.

"No shit. Brooke Davis, huh?" Nathan said surprised. He mentally congratulated himself for not choking on his beer.

"Brooke Davis," Lucas confirmed.

"So, where is she?"

"She's at Peyton and Jakes," he said.

"When did it happen?"

"Last weekend. In Vegas."

Nathan nodded. "Nice."

"Yep."

"So, have you seen Dan?" Nathan asked Lucas.

Lucas shook his head. "Nope. And I'm not sure I want to," he admitted.

"Yeah, me, neither," Nathan agreed. He felt bad for his father and as much as he didn't want to see the man, he knew he'd probably break down and do it. The man had, after all, raised him for most of his life. And it's not like he could do anything to hurt him anymore.

"Mom says he's still drinking a lot," Lucas said. Karen had told Lucas she'd run into Dan numerous times at the grocery store purchasing liquor.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised." After Nathan had left, Dan had started drinking more and more, slowly drinking himself into a stupor and never coming out of it.

"So, how are things with Haley?" Lucas asked unexpectedly.

Nathan did choke on his beer at this. _What the hell is going on? _"What do you mean?" he asked, hoping for some clarification.

"Any progress?" Lucas asked, taking a swig of his beer.

"Progress with _what?_" Nathan asked.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Are we really going to play this game?" he asked.

"What game?" Haley asked, poking her head through the doorway to the porch.

"Hales. Come on in!" Nathan said a little too enthusiastically. He was desperate for a change of subject.

Haley stepped out onto the porch. "So, what do you think?" she asked.

"About what?" Nathan said, breaking out into a cold sweat. Had she overheard their conversation?

"About having Brooke Davis for a sister in law," she said.

Nathan sighed in relief. "Oh—I think it's great," he said. "Lucas has been in love with her for years." If he ever got the chance, he was going to kill Haley's sisters for making him so paranoid.

"Yep," Lucas agreed. "And it's wonderful when you finally get what you've wanted after all of these years," he said, looking pointedly at Nathan.

Nathan cleared his throat and added Lucas to that list. "So, is it still crazy out there?" he asked Haley.

"It's not too bad," she said. "Most of the kids are down for the night, so that helps."

Nathan nodded. "Good," he said, and meant it. Those little monsters could be a real handful.

777

"So, coffee at the café tomorrow morning?" Lucas confirmed later that evening, zipping up his jacket.

"Yes," Haley said, giving him one last hug. "We'll be there. It's so good to see you, Lucas," she said.

He kissed her on the forehead. "You, too, Hales," he said as she pulled away. "And you, too, little brother."

Nathan grinned. "You, too, old man."

Lucas grinned back at his brother. "See you tomorrow." He walked out the front door, closing it behind him.

"Do you hear that?" Haley asked, as she and Nathan turned away from the door.

"What?" he asked, listening intently.

"Nothing," she said on a sigh. "Isn't it wonderful?" Everyone else had gone to bed, so it was just the two of them still up. Haley yawned. It had been a long day, and after spending most of it chasing kids, she was exhausted.

"You going up to bed?" he asked.

She nodded. "As soon as I clean up and put these dishes in the dishwasher," she told him.

"I'll help."

"Thanks," she said over her shoulder.

They started to collect all of the dirty dishes in the living room, brining them into the kitchen when their arms got too full. The entire time, all Nathan could think about was his conversation with Haley's sisters. Did they really think that he was in love with her? That was crazy. He knew he was—and that he had been for a long time, but he thought he'd done a pretty good job hiding it. Apparently, those James girls didn't miss a beat. At first, when he'd gotten here, he'd been convinced that he no longer had any feelings for Haley, but it was within an hour of his arrival at the James household that he'd discovered he was wrong. His feelings for Haley were still there, anxious to get out.

They'd finished up in the living room and were working in the kitchen in companionable silence, but all Haley could think about was Lucas' comment. Were her feelings for Nathan really that apparent? And what exactly were her feelings for him? She was definitely aware of the physical chemistry that was there between them. It had, after all, been simmering beneath the surface for a long time. She sighed as she loaded the last of the glassware into the dishwasher and put the soap in, then closed it up and turned it on. She turned around and washed the island, then the table. She gave the dishcloth one final rinse, wrung it out, and then folded it carefully, resting it beside the faucet.

She turned around and Nathan was grinning from ear to ear, leaning against the refrigerator with his arms crossed, the island separating them. She leaned back against the kitchen sink.

"What are you grinning at?" she asked, unable to keep from grinning herself. It was contagious.

He gave his head a slow shake. "I was just thinking about Lucas and Brooke."

Haley laughed. "It's about time, don't you think?" she asked. "He's been in love with her forever."

"Yeah," Nathan said softly thinking about his own predicament. His eyes moved to Haley's lips and he tried to tear them away, but he couldn't.

Haley realized where his gaze was, and she subconsciously licked her bottom lip. She heard his sharp intake of breath as his eyes raised to hers. It was then that Haley realized that she was standing too far away from Nathan. That damn island was right in her way. She slowly walked around it, Nathan's eyes following her the entire time. When she came to stand in front of him, she stood there and looked up at him. Just the sight of him made her breath catch in her throat. She stood up on her tiptoes just as Nathan leaned down to kiss her. Their lips came crashing together, but it didn't matter. Nathan didn't even have to wait for her mouth to open for him. By the time their lips had met, it already had. He devoured her with his mouth, his tongue moving skillfully against hers as she moved into him with so much force she pushed him up against the refrigerator. Lucky for him, that didn't stop her. She still tried to get closer, but she couldn't. She kept moving anyway, rubbing softly against him. Her passion only fueled his. Her hands came up to his head, and she ran her fingers through his hair until they came to the back of his head, and she laced her fingers together, using them to pull his face even closer to hers. "You taste like wine. Really…good…wine," he said raggedly in between kisses. He pulled his mouth from hers and started kissing her neck. She tipped her head to the opposite side to give him better access.

"Nathan," she said raggedly, moving her hands beneath his t-shirt and moving them up his chest. She moved them upward until they were resting on his shoulders underneath the shirt. Her touch made him crazy, and he took a step forward, forcing her to step backward. He kept moving forward until he felt her back hit the island. He grabbed her waist and hastily placed her up on top of it, then moved his hands to spread her knees, stepping between them. As soon as his mouth came down on hers again, she moved closer, until her knees were at his waist and she was right up against him. She moved her hands back down his upper body, and to the button of his jeans.

The realization that she was unbuttoning his jeans was like cold water to Nathan. He quickly pulled away. "We can't…do this here," he said, trying to catch his breath.

Haley had his t-shirt lifted up and was softly kissing his chest. He had to forcibly pull it from her and straighten it. She groaned and leaned her forehead against his chest.

"Let's go upstairs," she said, raising her eyes to his.

Nathan shook his head. "Not in your father's house, Haley," he said.

"Not in my father's house…or not at all?" she asked quietly, looking down.

He put a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face back to his. "Not in your father's house," he repeated.

"Because the night before you left for college…when I came into your room…you didn't want me then, either," she said timidly.

Nathan laughed cynically."Is that what you thought? That I didn't _want _you? Oh, Haley, that's…" He shifted nervously. "I didn't deserve you," he said. He swallowed audibly and took her face in his hands. He sighed deeply. "I can't remember ever _not _wanting you," he admitted candidly. He gently placed his lips to hers once again, and she reached up, her hands holding onto his forearms. His thumbs were softly caressing her cheeks. He pulled his mouth from hers and rested his forehead against hers. "Just so you know, Haley, a man can't kiss you the way I just did…and not want you."

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Good to know," she said, burying her face in his shoulder.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter. I started writing it a long time ago, but I didn't like how it ended up, so I decided to scrap it and start over, but now I've decided that I like it, so I've just added to it. __I had a hard time deciding which way to go, but this is where I ended up!_

_Thanks again for all of your reviews, and enjoy!_

"Oh my word! I forgot about this," Haley exclaimed animatedly from the passenger seat as Nathan found a parking space.

"What?" he asked pulling into the vacant spot, giving her a quick glance.

Haley turned away from her window and towards him. "When we were kids, Karen always closed the café the day after Christmas," she told Nathan.

"Why?" he asked. "It's a busy shopping day. You'd think she'd get a huge crowd."

Haley nodded. "She probably would, but she always had Lucas and I and our friends over first thing in the morning and made breakfast for us. She called it our 'coming down after Christmas' day," she told him.

Nathan frowned. "It seems kind of silly to me," he said. "Losing all of that business?"

Haley smiled wistfully. "Karen wasn't worried about one days' worth of business. You'll see how fun it is," she told him knowingly.

Nathan took a deep breath. "Are you ready to go and meet my new sister in law?" he asked, changing the subject.

Haley grinned. "Yeah, I am. But to be honest with you, I'm looking forward to getting you into bed even more," she said out of nowhere, getting out of the vehicle. She turned around to close the door and Nathan was sitting there staring at her, his jaw open. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Haley, you can't just say stuff like that to me!" he chastised her when he could finally grab hold of his thoughts.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because now, I'm going to be sitting there being reintroduced to Brooke, thinking about being in bed with _you_," he said.

"What's wrong with that?"

Nathan smirked at her. "I didn't realize that you were such a vixen," he teased, finally opening his door and stepping out of the vehicle. He shut the door, and when he turned around, Haley was standing right in front of him. She must have moved like lightening. Luckily, the vehicle was between them and the café, blocking anyone's view.

"You have no idea," she said, putting a hand up behind his head and pulling his face down to hers. When their mouths met, she ran her tongue along the seam of his lips, and he opened them immediately to allow her entry. Her tongue began its assault against his, and a frantic pace began. He grabbed the front of her jacket, pulling her closer to him. Back and forth, they teased each other, battling for control of the kiss. In the end, neither one had it. And they were both too wrapped up in the heat of it to care. Haley pulled away with no warning, leaving him wanting a lot more. She started for the entrance to the café, but turned around when she realized he wasn't following her.

"Coming?" she said sweetly.

"Sooner or later," he said dryly, shoving his hands in his pockets and jogging to catch up with her. "We have _got_ to get out of your parents house," he said.

She gave him a wicked grin. "You're telling me," she said, as they matched their pace to the door. Haley looked down at her feet and grinned to herself. She wasn't sure where this naughty side of her was coming from, but she liked it. The way Nathan was responding to her touch and kisses was definitely a contributing factor to this powerful feeling she was experiencing. She gave him one last smile as he opened the door for her and she stepped into the cafe. She hadn't expected to be accosted the second she walked in, so when Brooke ran straight for her and threw herself at Haley's chest, she fell backwards. Luckily, Nathan was standing right behind her and stepped forward so her back fell against his chest. "Tutor girl!" Brooke said, squeezing her tight.

Haley tentatively lifted her arms and hugged Brooke. She was surprised by her exuberance, as the two had never been very close. While all the Brooke and Lucas drama had been going on, it had been Haley's junior year, the year she'd spent glued to Nathan's side. Her time spent with Lucas had been limited. "It is so _great_ to see you again!" Brooke told her, pulling away. She looked Haley up and down. "You look good!" Brooke continued. "You gained all that weight back that you lost junior year," she observed. From her tone of voice, Haley could tell that Brooke meant it as a compliment, as if to insinuate that the weight loss wasn't a good thing. Haley was surprised she'd even noticed. The only other person who'd noticed had been Nathan.

"Ummm…thanks," Haley replied tentatively.

Brooke gave her a dazzling smile, then grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the table where Lucas, Brooke, Jake, Peyton, Jenny, and their twin baby boys were. Peyton stood up and gave Haley a hug. "Hi, Haley. It's good to see you," she said with a smile.

Haley smiled back at her. "You, too, Peyton," she said, surprised by the warmth that both girls were showing her. She'd only ever really been introduced to Peyton once. Before Brooke had dated Lucas junior year, Peyton had dated him briefly, but they'd split up and that was when she'd met Jake. So when senior year rolled around and Nathan was gone, Peyton had already been out of the picture for a long time. Before Lucas, Peyton had dated Nathan, and while Haley would have loved to have hated her for it, she was pretty sure that Peyton was _not_ someone who was easy to dislike.

Jake stood up and gave Nathan a quick hug. "Hey, Superstar," he teased.

Nathan laughed sheepishly. "Geez," he said. "Local boy makes good, and the inhabitants tease him about it."

Jake laughed. "You can take it," he said reassuringly.

"Hey, Little Brother," Lucas said.

Nathan nodded toward him. "Big Brother," he said, absently helping Haley remove her coat. He then took his own off and then went to the coat rack by the door to hang them up. He returned to the table and sat down in the chair between Haley and Jake. "So, these are the new babies, huh?" he asked.

"Yep," Jake said, bursting with pride. "Aren't they gorgeous?"

Nathan nodded and Haley looked at the babies longingly.

Jake nodded toward his only daughter. "And that's my Jenny. Isn't she stunning?" he asked as she blushed.

"Dad!" she protested.

"_Our_ Jenny," Peyton correct him.

Jake grinned. "Baby, if you've got it, you've got to flaunt it," he teased his ten year old daughter.

"Dad, I'm not sure what that means, but I don't think I'd like it if I did," she said.

Peyton grinned at Jenny, sitting beside her. She leaned over and pulled her closer with a hug. "It means that I'm going to kick your father's butt later," she informed her, placing a gentle kiss on her temple.

Jenny grinned from ear to ear then looked triumphantly at her father. He grinned back. "You don't know what that means, either," he said winking at Peyton, who blushed sweetly. "And if you did, I don't think you'd like it," he mimicked her earlier words.

Jenny groaned. "I hate when you guys talk about sex!" she said.

Jake's face straightened. "What the hell do you know about sex?" he said fretfully.

"Daddy, there's a zero behind that one in my age. I'm not an idiot," she told him.

Jake cleared his throat. "We'll talk later," he said anxiously as Peyton tried to keep from laughing at his over protectiveness. Haley watched their exchange and thought it adorable. Clearly this was a family who enjoyed being around each other.

"So, Haley where are you living now?" Peyton asked her.

Haley took her eyes off of whichever twin it was that Jake was holding and met Peyton's eyes. "I'm actually living in New Hampshire," she said. "Your babies are adorable!" she exclaimed unable to keep from changing the subject. "What are their names?" she asked.

Jake reached over Nathan and passed her the baby he was holding. "This little guy is Peyton," he told her.

Luke held up the baby he was holding as if he were showing him off. "And this is Jacob," he said.

"Oh," Haley said surprised. She settled the baby in her arms, unable to take her eyes off of him. "You named the babies after yourselves?" she asked.

Jake groaned. "I hate this story!" he said.

"Then I'll tell it," Jenny said excitedly. "Mom and Daddy spent the first eight month's of mom's pregnancy arguing over names, and finally, they decided that they'd each get to name a baby, and the other one had to accept it no matter what it was. So, they each wrote their name on a slip of paper and sealed it in an envelope until the babies came. Mom had picked Jacob and Daddy had picked Peyton," she explained.

"That's adorable!" Haley said, looking up at them.

"Well, we didn't think so," Peyton said.

"They didn't talk for three weeks after they came home unless Mom was yelling at Dad telling him to get his ass off the couch and pick up a crying baby," Jenny said.

"Jenny Jagielski!" Peyton exclaimed laughing. "That is _no__t_ true! And don't say ass!"

"No, I'm kidding," Jenny admitted. "They thought that it was _so_ sweet that the other wanted to name a baby after them. They both cried," she said, tattling on her parents.

Jake looked down into his lap. "Did not," he denied.

"Daddy! You did! Be a man and admit it," she demanded.

Nathan laughed. "Seems like I'm not the only local boy who made good," he said. "It looks like you've done a great job with the kids," he complimented his friend.

Jake looked up again, grinning. "We try," he said sincerely.

"So, not to change the subject or anything," Brooke said, "but I have a lot of ideas for this reception, and Haley, I was wondering if you'd help Peyton and I get everything together and set up," she said beaming. Clearly she thought this was an honor. Haley wasn't so sure, but what could she say? It was her best friends' wife.

"That sounds great," she lied with a smile firmly planted on her face.

"Great!" Brooke said. "And in keeping with tradition—well as much as we can since we're already married, we're not going to spend the night in the same house until after the reception."

Lucas choked on the drink of chocolate milk he'd just taken. "We're not?" he asked urgently.

"Nope," Brooke said excitedly. "In fact, I'm going to stay at Peyton's until then and Haley, we were hoping you'd stay with us," she announced, while Lucas still sat there with a dumbstruck look on his face. "You're Lucas' best friend and I have a feeling that you're going to be a big part of our lives from here on out," she predicted.

Haley smiled uncertainly. She winced as Nathan reached under the table and squeezed her knee. Hard. Clearly their plans for tonight were foiled. "That sounds…great," she said again. She sounded lame even to her own ears. She heard Nathan sigh beside her. She gave him a helpless look. "I'm sorry," she mouthed silently.

He gave her a stern glare and without asking, he plucked the baby she was holding out of her arms. Haley knew it was supposed to be a punishment for agreeing to Brooke's crazy plan, but at the sight of the baby in his arms, she couldn't help the grin making its way across her face. He looked absolutely adorable. And sexy all at the same time. Suddenly, the temperature rose in the café and Haley shifted uncomfortably.

Nathan gave her a knowing look as if he was aware of the exact effect he was having on her.

Haley sighed in temporary defeat. She couldn't wait until this reception was over.


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Note: I'm really sorry about the long wait for this chapter. My only excuse is that another fanfic I'm writing is presently consuming me, so I've been working on that. I just want to say thanks so much for all of your reviews. I absolutely love reading them! Enjoy this installment of Who'll Be Home for Christmas?_

It started mere minutes after Nathan had dropped Haley off at the Jagielski residence and picked Jake and Jenny up. Peyton had just kissed Jake goodbye and Haley had said a 'platonic' good bye to Nathan. As soon as the door shut behind them, a bubbly Brooke took Haley by the elbow and steered her to the couch, sitting them both down. "So," she said knowingly, "what's going on with you and Celtic?" she asked.

"Who?" Haley asked.

"Nathan," Brooke clarified, rolling her eyes.

"Nothing," Haley said carefully.

"Really?" Brooke said exaggeratedly. "Because it looks to me like he's hot for teacher."

"Uhhh…" Haley stammered. "Not _this _teacher," she said.

"Oh, please. Do you know who you're talking to? I have a sixth sense about these things," Brooke told her.

Peyton came into the room holding one of her babies and plopped down onto the couch on the other side of Haley. "Don't let her scare you," Peyton said with a big grin. "Her bark—much worse than her bite!"

Brooke crossed her arms, pouted, and sat back on the couch like a petulant child. "Whatever, P. Sawyer."

"Awww…you know I love you, B. Davis," Peyton said. "B. _Scott_," she corrected at her friends angry glare.

Done sulking, Brooke sat forward. "So, this is our first official girls' night as a threesome," she said, looking at Haley. "Peyton and I used to do this all the time. But—we're a twosome."

Haley nodded uncertainly, not sure what _this_ was.

"So, I've made a list of all the things we need to do tomorrow," Brooke said quickly. "We need to pick out a dress, we need to get mani/pedi's, we need to—"

"I'm sorry," Haley said, interrupting Brooke. "Mani what?"

"Mani/pedi's," Brooke told her.

Haley gave her a confused look indicating that she'd need more clarification.

"Uh-oh," Peyton said, knowing what was about to come.

"You've never had a manicure or a pedicure?" Brooke asked in disbelief.

Haley visibly flinched at her tone. "Umm…no," she said quietly.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Brooke said, wrapping an arm around her. "I bet you've never had a mud mask either!"

Haley shook her head.

"Oh," Brooke said, putting a hand to her chest as if her heart were breaking. "How do you have such gorgeous skin?"

"I drink a lot of water," Haley blurted out, not knowing what else to say. She could kill Lucas for letting her get into this with his new wife. Brook was nice enough, and definitely offset Lucas, especially where he was so quiet and reserved, his wife could definitely carry on a conversation all by herself. Haley cleared her throat. "So, are we going to go shopping in the morning or in the afternoon?" she asked, changing the subject. Beside her, Peyton started laughing hysterically. "What's so funny?" Haley asked looking from one girl to the other and back again. She'd never felt like she didn't fit in any more than she did right now.

Peyton wiped at the tears in her eyes. "Oh, Honey. You can't think of shopping with Brooke as a sprint. Shopping with Brooke is more like a…journey," she told Haley.

Haley turned to look at Brooke, who was nodding solemnly. "We're going to get up at five tomorrow—"

"AM?" Haley asked interrupting her.

Brooke nodded. "We all need to be ready to go at six, which will give us enough time to get to Charlotte by nine when everything opens. I've got the city broken up into quadrants, but we can cross one of them off, because it's really no good for shopping, but the other three are fairly promising," Brooke said excitedly. "The first quadrant has three to four stops that we need to make, so if we plan on four hours for that, we can be out of there by one. We'll break for lunch, an hour tops, and then we'll hit the second quadrant. I'm only planning on two hours because there are only two places that I want to check out. The third has four, but if we find what we're looking for in the first two, we can get rid of it completely," she said, only pausing once to take a breath. Haley was amazed. She'd never seen anyone who used their hands when they talked as much as Brooke just had.

"What…are we looking for again?" Haley asked.

"Only the most _perfect_ reception dress!"Brooke said elatedly.

Haley slowly nodded.

"So, if we cross quadrant three off, we can be back in Tree Hill by five or six tomorrow night, give or take a few hours. If not, we won't get home until nine or ten," she said, grinning. "Oh, Haley, we are going to have so much fun!" Brooke gushed giving her a squeeze. Haley's eyes widened and she turned her head to look at Peyton, who was trying desperately to hold in her laughter.

"I'm so glad I don't have to do this alone," Peyton whispered, her eyes twinkling in delight at Haley's sudden predicament. Haley took a deep breath and tried desperately to think of a way out of this. Unfortunately, she came up with nothing. She smiled half-heartedly and prepared for the journey.

777

Jake and Nathan got out of Nathan's rented SUV and headed into Brooke's parents house with their duffle bags. As usual, the Davis' were out of town on business. They'd fly in Saturday for their daughters' reception, and then they'd have to leave early to be back in London in time to close an important deal.

They had dropped Jenny off at a friends' house for the night, and the girls had opted to stay at the Jagielski residence because all of the babies' things were there. Jake was a little nervous, as this was the first time he'd be away from the twins since they'd been born. And he and Peyton hadn't spent a night apart since they'd been married.

Nathan was still irritated at the fact that he wasn't going to be able to enjoy every inch of Haley tonight. Six and a half years of anticipation was enough. He was ready for her, dammitt!

Lucas was in much the same boat. He and Brooke hadn't been apart since they'd been married—which, granted hadn't been very long, but the truth was, he'd enjoyed her first thing in the morning, on his lunch hour, and last thing before he went to bed at night. To say that he was less than happy when Brooke had thrust this foolish idea at him was an understatement. They were married now. Weren't they supposed to discuss these things _together_?

He opened the door when he heard his brother and friend walking up the steps. "Hey, guys," he said, noticing the scowls they were both wearing. He couldn't help but smirk. "Hey, this wasn't _my_ idea," he said, defending himself.

"Yeah, well, Brooke belongs to you now," Jake said harshly. "It's up to you to make sure these things don't happen. Do you see how well-behaved Peyton is?" he asked.

Lucas lifted an eyebrow. "I can't _wait_ to tell Brooke that one," he said dryly.

"I'll kill you," Jake said. He and Nathan put their bags down by the door and followed Lucas into the living room. "I need to check on Peyton and the babies," he said, pulling his phone from his jacket pocket. He left the room.

"So, what's going on, Little Brother?" Lucas asked, sitting on one end of the couch.

Nathan took his jacket off and sat down on the opposite end. "Not much," he said. "What's on the agenda for tonight?"

Lucas shrugged. "Well, I don't have a master plan like I'm sure my wife does, but I was thinking we could visit our old stomping grounds," he said.

Nathan grinned. "The River court?" he asked.

Lucas nodded. "Sounds good."

Jake walked back into the room chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Nathan and Lucas asked at the same time.

Jake looked at Lucas. "Your wife is scaring your best friend to death, that's all," he said with a grin. "She just got a glimpse of what shopping with Brooke is going to be like."

"Haley won't last an hour," Nathan predicted with a smirk. She hated shopping.

"Hey, what's going on with you and the James' girl anyway?" Jake asked.

Lucas stood up with a grin. "Yeah, Little Brother," he chimed in.

Nathan stood up. "It's just sex," he lied, hoping to get a rise out of his brother.

Lucas glowered at Nathan. "Nate—"

Nathan smirked again. "Nothing is going on with Haley and me," he said. "I just wanted to piss you off. Did it work?"

"Like a charm," Lucas said dryly, and then looked at Jake. "River court?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me see if Peyton packed me enough layers," he said without thinking.

Nathan and Lucas started laughing heartily.

"You let your _wife_ pack your stuff for you?" Lucas teased.

Jake looked up from his duffle bag with a grin. "It means she loves me," he said proudly.

Nathan scoffed. "Yeah, and that you're incapable," he quipped.

Jake stood up, putting on a hooded sweatshirt and then his coat over that. "Hey, Nate?" he asked loudly.

"Yeah?"

"Who packed your bags for Tree Hill?" Jake asked knowingly.

Nathan sighed. Jake had him this time. "My housekeeper," he muttered.

"Yeah? Does she wear one of those cute little French maid costumes?" he joked.

Nathan narrowed his gaze. "Her name is Millie and she's the sweetest little old lady I've ever known," he said, defending her.

"So that's a no on the French maid costume, then?" Lucas pressed.

Nathan gave his brother a dirty look and then opened the door, leading the way out. Lucas followed, and Jake completed the line. "Hey," he said from his place in the back. "Did you know that Charlotte could be broken up into quadrants?"

777

It had been cold when the guys had first arrived at the River court, but they'd all shed their jackets, having heated up after their fierce horseplay. They were randomly shooting around when they heard a basketball bouncing on the other end of the court, then a voice said, "Well, well, well. What have we here?"

The three spun around simultaneously to see who had asked the question. Jake immediately noticed the scowls that had appeared on both the Scott boys faces and looked from one to the other wondering what in the hell was going on. He watched as Nathan's face filled with fury.

Lucas noticed it, too, and quickly moved to stand in front of his brother. "If you don't leave, I'll let him kill you this time," he warned the figure at the end of the court.

Adam Tillman was standing there with a smirk on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

_He'd been driving himself crazy worrying about her, opening the door to her __bed__room and going in to check on her every fifteen minutes. __He had tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't say a word. __He lay __in bed still unable to sleep even at two in the morning. He got up out of bed and went down into the kitchen to have a bowl of cereal. He was sitting on the couch watching ESPN game high lights when Craig came home from a night out with his current girlfriend—whoever that was. Nathan r__eally couldn't keep up with him. Craig__ plopped__ down on__to__ the couch beside him_

_"What are you watching?" he__ asked._

_"High lights from the__ Bulls-Spurs game," Nathan told him__, spooning some more Lucky Charms into his mouth._

_"Nice," Craig said with a nod._

_"Yeah," Nathan agreed._

_"Who won?"_

_"The Spurs," Nathan told his friend._

_They had been watching ESPN for a few minutes when Craig said, "Hey, were you home when Haley got home from her date with Adam tonight?"_

_Nathan's head snapped up. "She went out with Adam tonight?" he asked._

_"Yeah," Craig said. "It was a big night for her. Her first date and all," he said__ with a frown__ He hated the thought of his little sister dating._

_"Hmm…no, I wasn't home," Nathan__ lied, standing up. _

_"Where are you going?" Craig asked._

_"To take care of my bowl," Nathan said. "And then I'm going for a midnight run."_

_"It's two thirty in the morning," Craig said with an amused grin. "You're not going anywhere."_

_"Look—I had a run in with my father today," he lied. "I really need to work off some steam."_

_Craig stood up. "Let me change into some shorts and I'll go with you," he said._

_Nathan shook his head. "I don't want you slowing me down," he joked. "I won't be long."_

_"Look—I know that Tree Hill isn't a hotbed of criminal activity, but things could still happen."_

_Nathan grinned at his friends warning. He wasn't worried. Tonight—__**he **__was the one on the prowl._

_777_

_Nathan had just taken a left at the __end of the __driveway and was already running at a fast pace. His fury was propelling him forward step by hurried step. He was running up one block and down another when he saw him. He was at the River court, by himself, shooting the ball around at a leisurely rate. Nathan's rage intensified, watching him playing around as if he didn't have a care in the world. Meanwhile Haley was home in bed __with her eyes wide open too terrifi__ed to__ give in to__ sleep. Fueled by his anger, he ran forward so fast that Adam hadn't even seen him. When Nathan ran up behind him and gave him a shove, he went sprawling forward on the concrete.__ "What the hell is wrong with you?" Adam yelled, trying to get to his feet. But Nathan wouldn't let him. H__e kicked him in the stomach so hard it earned__a groan__, giving him a just a small sense of satisfaction__. "What are you doing?" Adam asked again._

_"What's the matter, Adam? You don't like to be on the __**receiving**__ end of an attack?" Nathan spat furiously__. Adam's eyes immediately filled with fear._

_"Look—I don't know what Haley told you," he said. "Maybe she regrets what we did—"_

_Nathan kicked him in the stomach again and he fell to the ground clutching his midsection._

_"__**She **__didn't do anything," Nathan said. "You__ forc__ed__ yourself on__ her!"_

_"I don't know what she said," Adam sputtered, trying to get up on his knees, "but she—"_

_"She didn't __**say **__anything! She's not talking!" he yelled angrily. "She's too damn scared!"_

_Nathan went over and grabbed the fabric of his shirt, rolling him over onto his back. He punched first one cheek, and then the other. He grabbed him by the shirt again, lifting him a few inches off the ground, ready to slam his head into the concrete.__ But a voice stopped him._

_"Nathan!" he heard someone yell out urgently._

_Nathan looked up and Lucas was running towards him._

_He was breathing heavily when he finally came to a stop beside Nathan. __"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Lucas yelled._

_Nathan just looked at his older brother and it was then that Lucas noticed the rage in his eyes._

_"Nathan?" he said in a composed tone of voice. He was trying to calm his brother down. "Let him go," he said firmly._

_"He raped Haley," Nathan whispered raggedly. And to his shock, his eyes filled with tears._

_Lucas swallowed past the lump in his throat and tried to get a grip on his __own __emotions. __The tears in his brothers__'__ eyes shook him to the core._

_Nathan watched as his brothers eyes clouded with fury and his jaw began to tick. But luckily, Lucas had always been the more level headed one of the Scott boys. "You can't kill him, Nathan," he said._

_But Nathan lifted his head with a look of defiance that told Lucas he could._

_"Listen—if you kill him, who's gonna take care of Haley__, huh__?" Lucas asked him desperately__, trying to get through to him__. "He's not worth it, Little Brother."_

_That, more than anything else Lucas__ ever __could have said got Nathan's attention. He'd never called him that before, never acknowledged the fact that they were brothers. __Neither one of them had. __Nathan looked down at Adam and u__nclenched his fists, letting him fall to the ground_

_"We gotta get outta here," Nathan said._

_"Is he OK?" Lucas asked._

_"He__'__s__ gonna live__ if that's what you mean," Nathan told him._

_"Good enough," Lucas said, and they took off __together __at a dead run. _

"So, how's Haley?" Adam asked with a depraved grin, purposefully goading Nathan.

Lucas saw his brother move out of the corner of his eye and put a firm hand on his chest. "Nathan—"

"What the hell is going on?" Jake asked.

"Does she miss me?" Adam asked, continuing his taunt.

Lucas' eyes widened and he licked his lips nervously. He looked at Nathan and his brother gave him a pleading look.

"Tell her I was asking about her," he said, turning to walk away.

Lucas sighed and looked at his brother. "_Two_ punches, and then I'm pulling you off," he said.

Nathan nodded and took off after him.

"Nate!" Lucas yelled, running to catch up with him.

Nate stopped and looked at his brother.

"And then two punches, and you pull _me_ off," Lucas told him.

"Deal," Nathan said, continuing towards Adam.

Just like that night all those years ago on this very court, Nathan gave him a shove from behind. "What do you want, Adam?" he asked. "Are you _trying_ to get me to hit you?"

"You won't hit me," Adam said confidently.

"Why won't I?" Nathan asked.

"Because you don't want the lawsuit," he said smugly.

Nathan shrugged nonchalantly, and then quickly drew back and punched him in the jaw. "I can afford it," he said, just as Adam's fist connected with his eye. Not expecting it, Nathan stumbled back a few steps, and Adam took that opportunity to punch a surprised Lucas in the face, too. Nathan ran towards him and bent down at the waist so his shoulder connected with Adam's stomach, both of them falling to the ground, Nathan on top. He got up on his knees, straddling him and punched him in the face, then lifted his fist to do it again, but he felt a hand on it. He looked up and Lucas shook his head. "My turn," he said dangerously.

Nathan didn't want to, but he stood up, letting his brother get his turn in. Lucas punched Adam once in the face. "_That _was for Haley," he said. Then he punched him in the stomach "And _that_ was for anyone else who you did the same thing to!" He went to hit him again, but Jake put a firm hand on his shoulder. "No, Lucas," he commanded.

Lucas sighed and stood up.

Adam immediately jumped to his feet, holding onto his jaw. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted.

"We get a little crazy about the women we love," Lucas said with a shrug and a smirk, as if it was no big deal. "It runs in the family. Just look at what our dad did to our moms," he continued. "Let's go," he said, as the three of them started walking away. He turned around one last time. "Oh, and if you wanna do this again, the Scott boys are always game," he told him.

They got into the SUV and headed back to Brooke's parents house. "What in the hell was _that_ about?" Jake asked angrily.

"Just an old score that needed to be settled," Nathan said from the passenger's seat, looking out the window.

Jake cleared his throat. "You mentioned Haley. Did he do what I think he did?" he asked quietly.

When neither one of them would look him in the eye, he knew it was true. He sighed. "If you had told me, I could have gotten _my_ two in," he said.

Nathan looked over at him and grinned.

777

"I need to see Haley," Nathan said abruptly when they drove into the driveway. He got out of the passengers seat and started walking over to the driver's side.

"Whoa!" Lucas said, not taking heed of his brothers ticking jaw. "You're going to go see Haley looking like _that_?"he asked him. Nathan could feel his eye swelling and he was pretty sure that it was bruising, but he didn't care.

"Yeah," he said firmly. "I'm going to see Haley like this." He got into the vehicle and took off for the Jagielski residence.

777

It was only eight-thirty, but Haley was already in bed when she heard her phone beep in her purse. Brooke had insisted that they all need a good night sleep before their shopping expedition tomorrow. She turned the bedside lamp on and pulled her cell out of her bag. The screen said she had a text message, so she hit the appropriate button to read it. It was from Nathan. _I need to see you. I'm right outside, _it read. She sat up and got out of bed, grabbing her jeans from the bag and putting them on, then her sneakers. She crept down the stairs, and grabbed the coat off the hook by the door and put it on over Nathan's Celtics sweatshirt. She turned the outside light on and opened the door. Before she even had it open all the way, Nathan grabbed her and roughly pulled her against his chest. He wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her so tight she could barely breathe. "Nathan," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"Are _you_?" she asked desperately, pulling away and putting her hands on each side of his head. "Nathan, what happened?" she asked, noticing his bruised eye. She touched it tenderly and heard him wince. She gave him a questioning look. He could tell she was scared, so he pulled her to him again.

"I'm OK," he assured her.

"Well you don't look it," she said, her voice muffled from her face being buried in his chest. "What the hell happened?" she asked, forcefully pulling away.

Nathan swallowed nervously. He knew she was going to be mad, and he was sorry for that, but he'd just given the jerk what he'd deserved. "I saw Adam tonight," he said quietly.

Haley pulled all the way out of his arms and looked up at him. "What…is that why you have a black eye?" she asked, her anger rising.

"Yeah," he admitted.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He started saying things about you and…I couldn't help it," he said. "I had to punch him."

"You didn't _have_ to," she argued, and then sighed. "Where were you?"

"We were at the River court," he told her.

"We?!" she asked in a shrill voice. "Jake and Lucas were there?"

He nodded.

"Do they know?" she asked softly.

He nodded again, remaining silent.

She started pacing. "My God, Nathan! Now everyone knows!" she said angrily.

"It's just Lucas and Jake," he said desperately.

"And how long before Brooke and Peyton find out?"

"Haley—you didn't do anything wrong," he reminded her.

"I know I didn't do anything wrong! But do you realize how weak this makes me look?"

"What?" Nathan asked, confused.

"I can't even take care of myself!" she said.

"Haley, you are _not_ weak," Nathan said. "You're the strongest person I know. _Because _of what happened to you. In spite of it, even!"

"You should go," she said.

"Haley—"

"Go!" she said with more force.

Nathan sighed and took her by the hand. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't leave this house tonight, Haley," he begged her.

"Nathan—"

"For me," he said softly. "I need to know that you're going to be OK."

"I promise I won't go anywhere. But he can't hurt me," she assured Nathan. "I won't let him."

Nathan knew she was right. Adam couldn't be that stupid. But it made him feel better to know that Haley wouldn't be running into him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, as she shut the door behind her without another word.

He sighed. Sure, Haley _thought_ she'd be OK. Nathan thought he'd be OK, too, but one look at the guy and he thought his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. As it turned out, his anger hadn't dissipated over the years like he'd thought it had.


	13. Chapter 13

Haley's feet were killing her. She had been traipsing around Charlotte with Brooke and Peyton for the last four hours and she was ready to go home. She had been sneaking off to the bathroom every chance she got to try and call Nathan, but his cell phone was off. "So, where to for lunch?" Brooke finally asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"I could go for a big fat greasy cheeseburger," Peyton said.

Brooke made a face. "No! There's this new macrobiotic place a few blocks over that I'd like to go to for lunch!" she said excitedly.

Haley and Peyton looked at each other with huge eyes. Peyton put an arm around Brooke. "Umm…honey, I love you, and I'd do most anything for you, but I want _meat_," she said firmly. She looked at Haley. "And it looks like our new friend does, too."

Brooke looked at Haley and then back to Peyton. "But I have to look my absolute best for my reception, and I would like for you guys to look really good, too," she said with a pout.

"Brooke—"

"Please!" she said. "It will all be worth it in the end. Your faces will positively glow! I promise!" she said. "And _I'm_ the bride," she said huffily.

"That's right. You _are_ the bride," Peyton said, her tone borderline mocking. "So, maybe Haley and I will give in to your every whim for the day," Peyton's eyes widened when she saw Haley give her a contemptuous look. She cleared her throat. "Or maybe just _I _will," she corrected.

Haley sighed. "Macrobiotic sounds wonderful," she said, hoping that her voice was convincing enough to pull one over on Brooke. It was.

Brooke clapped her hands together, her face beaming. "You guys are the _best_!" she said, leaning over and giving Peyton a kiss on the cheek. She stopped right there on the street and turned around, holding her arms out to Haley. "Haley!" she said, taking a step towards her.

Haley smiled half-heartedly and let Brooke wrap her arms around her, giving her a tight squeeze. "Thanks, Haley," she said.

"You're welcome," Haley said weakly.

Brooke let go and started leading the way to their vehicle. They arrived at the new restaurant, and Haley realized as she looked around that they were the only ones in there. That wasn't a surprise at all. "I just need to visit the ladies room," she said quickly, walking toward the sign she saw upon entrance. She was glad to see that it was a single person restroom instead of stalls, and she immediately locked the door behind her. She pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed Nathan's cell phone number again. This time, when his voicemail picked up, Haley left him a message. "Hey, Nathan. It's me. I…I really hate the way we left things last night. Or… the way _I_ left things. I'm sorry I acted the way I did, I was just caught off guard and…I don't want you to feel like you have to defend me or fight my battles. I just want you to know I'm OK. Except that I'm missing you like crazy right now. Hopefully I'll see you tonight when we get back from Charlotte." She sighed heavily. "Bye," she said hastily, snapping her phone shut. She left the restroom and walked over to the table and sat down, then looked around. "Did we get menus yet?" she asked.

Peyton cleared her throat. "Brooke ordered for us," she said sweetly. "Wasn't that nice of her?"

"Umm…yeah. Thanks, Brooke," she said.

"You're welcome," Brooke told her. Then she placed her palms on the table and licked her lips. She lifted her eyes and looked at the other two women. "So, I've made a decision," she announced.

"And what's that?" Peyton asked, trying not to choke as she took a sip of her seaweed shake.

"I have decided that I'm going to get the white satin dress with the thin straps that came down to the floor," she told the two.

Peyton nodded. "You mean the one that clung perfectly to you?" she said encouragingly.

Brooke nodded eagerly.

"You mean the very first dress you tried on in the _very_ first store we went into?" Haley asked with forced cheerfulness. She'd been tortured for the last four hours for _nothing_?

"That's the one," Brooke told her. "So, I'm going to call the boutique and ask them to hold it for me while the three of us have a spa afternoon," she said. "And it's all on me!"

"Thanks, Brooke," Peyton said enthusiastically.

Haley cleared her throat. "What does this spa afternoon consist of?" she asked.

"We'll get mud wraps and then mud masks, and then we'll go to get mani/pedis," she said.

"Oh, yes," Haley said dryly. "The mani/pedis."

"We are going to have so much fun! It is so lucky that I found my dress so fast!" she said, then stood up. "I'm going to go see if there's a phonebook here and I'm going to call the boutique. I'll be right back."

"You're being a great sport," Peyton said as Brooke walked away.

"Am I?" Haley asked bitterly.

"Yes," Peyton reassured her.

"Is she always like this?" she asked.

"No," Peyton said. "She's been very tame. Usually she's much worse."

Peyton laughed as Haley made a face.

"Brooke's got a heart bigger than this state," she said. "Once you're her friend, there's nothing she won't do for you. But Brooke has these walls up, and not everyone will stick around to find out what's behind them. _I _did," Peyton said. "And so did Lucas. And he saw what's in her, Haley. And she's really good for him," Peyton added, knowing it would make her glad.

Haley nodded. "I'm happy to hear _that_," she said, taking a sip of her shake. She immediately spit it back into the glass. "What _is _this?" she asked, scrubbing her tongue with her napkin.

Peyton grinned. "It's an algae and seaweed shake," she informed Haley.

Haley's eyes widened as she put a hand to her mouth. She forced herself to take deep breaths so she wouldn't gag. Peyton erupted into laughter. "I can't wait to have a bite of something real when we get home," Haley finally said.

"What's so funny?" Brooke asked, sitting back down.

"Are they going to save your dress?" Peyton asked, changing the subject.

Brooke grinned and nodded. "Yes they are!" she said excitedly. "_And_ look at what I found!" She held up a plastic bottle.

Peyton wrinkled her nose. "What's that?" she asked.

"It's a juice fast!" Brooke exclaimed. "I'm going to get it for us."

Haley cleared her throat. "For _all_ of us?" she asked.

Brooke nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Don't you think it's a great idea?" she asked, looking from Haley to Peyton.

"It's a great idea!" Peyton said.

Haley just smiled weakly. It was going to be a long couple of days.

777

Nathan walked into the kitchen and unplugged his phone charger, then looked at his display. One voicemail. He dialed the number and entered his password, then heard Haley's message. He sighed in relief as he listened to it. He was glad that she wasn't mad at him. He'd worried about her all day long. He dialed her cell phone number and waited for her to pick up. She did on the third ring. "Hi," she said, knowing it was him.

"Hey," he said softly. There was a short pause.

"I'm sorry," they said at the same time.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked.

She sighed. "For overreacting. I forget sometimes that what happened didn't affect just me. You were there too, and you took such good are of me, Nathan. And…you watched me go through everything, so you're entitled to your feelings, too. I guess I didn't realize that you'd still be angry," she said sincerely.

"To be honest, neither did I," he admitted. "So, how was your day with Brooke?" he asked, not wanting to dwell on the subject that they'd fought about.

"Tiring. I shopped more today than I have in my entire life up until now," she told him. "But she really loves Lucas, Nathan. It's amazing."

"He really loves her, too," he said softly. "Listen, we're just getting ready to eat, so I'll give you a call later," he told her.

"What are you having?" she asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"Pizza," he answered.

"What kind?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Lucas ordered it. I'll ask him."

"You know what? It doesn't matter. Just bring me over a slice."

"What?" he asked surprised.

She sighed heavily. "Nathan, Brooke has me on this juice fast," she explained with a whine. "So that I can be glowing for her reception."

Nathan laughed. "A juice fast?" he asked.

"Yes," Haley said. "It's bad."

"I'll be over in an hour. Meet me on the porch again."

"I'll be waiting," she said. "And you'll have the pizza?"

He laughed again. "I'll have the pizza," he promised.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: OK, so all I can say is that tonight's OTH rocked my socks right off! I am not a Leyton fan, but Peyton's speech to Lucas was __**AMAZING! **__Finally—some good writing from Mark Schwahn! Now if we could get rid of Nanny Carrie. I'll work on it. LOL I'm still liking Lindsey more with every episode! _

"What the hell happened to your face?" Nathan asked when Haley stealthily opened the door and slipped outside. It was eight-thirty, and Brooke, Peyton, and the twins were all in bed per Brooke's strict pre-reception orders.

Haley gave him a helpless look. "Brooke Davis happened to my face!" she said heatedly, putting a hand up to touch her blotchy skin. "And do you know why?" she asked in a shrill voice.

Nathan shook his head no and took a step back as a precautionary measure.

"Because I didn't have the nerve to stand up to her and tell her that I didn't want to do this whole stupid slumber party thing! _Or_ the mud masks we had done at the spa today! I am _not_ that girly, Nathan!" she told him with a sigh. "And do you know what the worst part is?" she asked.

"What?" he said quietly, not wanting to add fuel to the fire.

"The worst part is that I can't even be mad at her because she loves Lucas so damn much!"

"How is that bad?" he asked, poised to run like heck if she got even angrier.

"It's not bad," Haley said. "It's just—" She stopped midsentence and walked over to the railing, then looked up at the side of the house. "Is that Lucas climbing up lattice work?" she asked with a laugh.

"Dude!" Nathan said, coming up behind her. "I told you that we didn't need to do any B and E-ing tonight," he told his brother.

"Sshh!" Lucas said on his way up. "Brooke'll think it's romantic!" he explained.

"Will she think it's romantic when you break your neck?" Haley asked dryly.

"It will match my black eye," Lucas said merrily, still working his way up the side of the house. "And don't worry, Hales. I won't tell her about the pizza."

Haley spun around and came face to chest with Nathan. She didn't realize he was so close to her. She looked up at him. "How did _Lucas_ get a black eye?" she asked.

Nathan cleared his throat. "Adam is very agile when you're not expecting it," he said, defending both his brother and himself. He knew it was lame. Two against one. They should have had him.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Did Jake get one, too?" she asked.

Nathan shook his head, then grabbed a paper bag that Haley hadn't noticed sitting on the railing and sat down on the porch swing."Lucas stopped me, then took over, and then Jake stopped Lucas."

"At least _one_ of the three of you had willpower enough to stop it," Haley said sitting down next to him as he handed her the bag. She peeked in and saw two slices of mushroom and bacon pizza in saran wrap. She sighed contentedly then leaned over and kissed Nathan on the cheek. "Oh, God _bless_ you," she said sincerely, opening the bag and taking a big bite of the pizza. Nathan's eyes widened as she moaned blissfully. He had assumed a few days ago that he'd be hearing that noise, but not over pizza. He shifted uncomfortably.

"You OK?" Haley asked innocently, taking another bite of pizza.

Nathan swallowed audibly and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine," he assured her. "So, what's with this juice fast?"

Haley rolled her eyes. "Don't ask," she said. "It might be the death of me," she said dramatically.

"Haley—you're not gonna die," Nathan said with certainty.

"You never know," she said with mock sincerity.

Nathan's eyes twinkled and he grinned. "You've waited _wa__aaa__y_ too long to get me into bed," he teased.

Haley's jaw dropped and she gasped, crumpling up her paper bag. She threw it at his chest, and he caught it. She looked down at her pizza and then back up at him. "OK," she conceded begrudgingly. "There _is_ that."

Nathan put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him, kissing her on her forehead. "Ifthe thought of _that _won't keep you going, then I don't know _what_ will!"

777

Brooke Davis jumped when she heard her window open. She had just dozed off when the noise woke her. She cautiously looked over her shoulder and recognized the build of the figure entering the room immediately. "Lucas?" she asked sleepily, sitting up.

"Yeah, Babe, it's me," he whispered.

"What are you doing here? We're not supposed to see each other until the reception."

"I missed you," he told her.

"Awww," she said. "Come here."

He sat down next to her, and she gave him a light kiss on the lips then socked him on the arm. "You _knowingly_ went against my rules!" she scolded him.

He rubbed his arm. "Oww! What the hell, Brooke?"

"I ask one thing—_one_ thing of you! And you couldn't do it!" She jumped up off the bed, leaving Lucas sitting there and she flipped the lamp on. "I didn't ask you to lift a finger to help with this reception!" she said, pacing back and forth.

Lucas kicked his shoes off and lifted his legs onto the bed stretching them out in from of him. He leaned his back against the headboard and took advantage of the opportunity to watch his wife moving around in a hot pink leopard print nighty, coming down to just below her thighs. _If only it was an inch higher_, he thought with a grin.

"I let you pick out your own tux! And _you_ risk your pretty little neck climbing up lattice work?" She put her hands on her hips and spun around. "What kind of an idiot did I marry?" she asked then gasped when she finally saw his face. She stalked over to the bed and roughly grabbed hold of his chin, moving it to the side. "One with a black eye, that's what kind! Lucas, what the hell happened to you?"

"Well, I—"

"You're gonna have a black eye at our _wedding_ reception?" she asked in disbelief.

Lucas hung his head shamefully.

Brooke lifted his chin again, moving it from side to side to examine it. Suddenly, he felt her lips gently touch his bruised spot. "I kind of like it," she whispered huskily. "It's very James Bond."

Lucas grinned and pulled her down onto him. "Have I told you how much I love you, Brooke Scott?" he asked.

She grinned at him. "Yeah, you have," she said, reaching down for the hem of her dress. "But now you can show me."

Suddenly the door flew open and Peyton walked in, carrying a baby. "I thought I heard you in here!" she said with a grin. "Thank God! I get bored when it's just one of the babies and I up this late. Jake usually gets up with us at night," she told them. "Where is my husband?" she asked.

"He's at my Mom's house with Jenny," Lucas told her as Brooke struggled to sit up gracefully. It didn't work. With a sigh, she finally just pulled the sheet up to her waist.

Peyton sat down at the foot of the bed with the baby, making it clear she wasn't going anywhere. If Jake couldn't be here, neither could Lucas. She grinned at both of them. "So, excited about the big day?" she asked brightly.

Brooke and Lucas sighed at the same time. Clearly their plans had been foiled for tonight.

777

"Good night," Brooke told her husband, opening the door for him. Her eyes narrowed when she heard laughing. She stepped out onto the porch. "Haley!" she exclaimed accusingly.

Haley jumped up and swallowed nervously. "Oh, hey, Brooke," she said weakly.

Brooke looked at Nathan and then back to Haley. "Care to explain?" she asked.

"Well," Haley said with an anxious laugh. "I was hoping for a pardon since…Lucas was here, too."

Brooke crossed her arms. "Haley, you do as I _say_, not as I _do_," she scolded seriously, then looked at Nathan. "Good night, Nathan," she said as if she was dismissing him.

It was clear to Haley that Nathan was trying very hard not to laugh. "Good night, Brooke," he said, walking down the front steps.

Haley followed Brooke into the house. "I'll call you tomorrow," she told him, shutting the door behind her. It flew open less than a second later.

"No she won't!" Brooke said. "She's _grounded_."

And with that, the door slammed shut.

777

When Lucas and Nathan walked into the living room and Lucas' Moms' house, Jake and Jenny were watching a movie. "I can't _believe_ she just walked in like that when I was trying to…" suddenly he realized Jenny was in the room and cleared his throat. "Do my husbandly duties," he finished.

Jake cleared his throat and looked at his daughter. "Jenny, you're going to see things tonight and hear things tonight that can never be repeated," he told her.

Jenny's face wrinkled in disgust. "Dad, are you talking about sex?"

"No," Jake said quickly. Then, "Well…possibly."

"Look, has there been anyone since mom?"

"What?! No!" Jake said, realizing that while the question was entirely inappropriate for his daughter to be asking, it still deserved an answer.

"Then that's all I need to know," she said, turning her attention back to the television.

Nathan and Lucas took seats, and the four of them continued to watch the movie in silence.

"Uh, I gotta run to the store. I need my Mountain Dew," Jake said about fifteen minutes later.

Jenny's eyes widened knowingly. "You're going to see mom!" she accused.

"Am _not_," Jake said sheepishly.

Jenny pointed her finger at her father. "Are, too! You have that look in your eyes."

"What look?" Jake asked.

"The one that you always get just before you say, 'Hey, Jenny, watch the babies while your mom and I go in to make the bed,'" Jenny said in a deep voice, mocking Jake's.

Jakes face reddened.

"And P.S., Daddy, it doesn't take an hour to make the bed!"

Nathan grinned and nodded his head. "An hour? Impressive."

"Dude," Jake said, holding an arm out to Jenny. "The daughter? Not in front of her!"

Nathan's face immediately straightened. "Sorry, Man."

"It's OK," he said, standing up. He looked down at his daughter. "Now, if you're done interrogating me, I'm going to the store now," he repeated.

"Great," Jenny said standing up. "I'll go with you."

"No!" Jake said quickly.

Three sets of eyes flew to his face. "Real smooth, Man," Lucas said with a grin.

"It's too late for you to be out," Jake told Jenny, fleeing the room.

And more importantly, fleeing his super-intuitive daughter.

777

Jake sighed, leaning against the headboard. "Why do _we_ have to be included in this?" Jake asked. "We're already married."

Peyton grinned at her husband. "We're doing it for Brooke," she reminded him. "It's _he__r _reception day."

"I know," he said, looking down at little Peyton. "I just can't stand to be away from you or these little guys," he said sincerely. He looked at the clock. Ten minutes was up. "Time to switch," he said.

Jake and Peyton quickly switched twins. When they'd first gotten home from the hospital, it had been a tricky move for them, but after all these months, they'd finally mastered it. When they'd finished the swap, Jake kissed little Jake on his forehead. "I miss getting up with them at night," he said.

"Them?" Peyton asked knowing, one eyebrow cocked in amusement.

Jake gave her a wide grin. "OK, so my favorite part is how…appreciative you are when we finally get them to sleep again," he teased, looking back down at the baby.

"I'm appreciative that you snuck over to see us," she told him, her voice husky.

His eyes flew to hers and he saw her eyes darken. He laughed anxiously then quickly stood up with the baby. "Let's get these little guys back into their cribs," he said. "I only have a few minutes before I have to be back."

Grinning, Peyton stood up, too. "That's all I need," she assured him.

Jake moaned and shifted the baby to one arm. He used the other one to pull his wife to him, being careful of the baby in her arms. His lips came hungrily down onto hers.

Laughing, she pulled away. "Jake, I know we've gotten really good at handling the babies, but I don't think we've gotten good enough to hold them _and_ do what I have in mind," she teased.

He laughed and headed for the bedroom door. They needed to get the twins back to their nursery. He opened the bedroom door and Brooke was standing there, arms crossed and the toes on one foot tapping. "Busted," she alleged.

Jake looked over his shoulder at his wife. "It was nice knowing you," he said dramatically. He heard his wife wince.


	15. Author's Note

_Hey, all! Sorry about the false alarm for the chapter posting, but this is just an author's note. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten about this story! I am planning on starting it up again soon. Right now I'm writing a Brucas wedding in one of my other fanfics, and I don't want to have two going at once because I don't want to get the details confused. Thanks for your patience, and I apologize for the delay!_

_Angie_


	16. Chapter 15

_First of all, I just want to say, for everyone who's been waiting patiently for this, thank you so much for sticking it out. I can't apologize enough for the wait. I hope you enjoy it. _

_--Angie_

The day of the reception dawned, and it was as gorgeous as North Carolina could be in late December. But no one was surprised. Everyone knew that even the weather wouldn't dare cross Brooke Davis on the day she was set to celebrate her wedding. The girls were at Brooke's house, along with Karen and Brooke's mom, Victoria. She'd just put her hair up in hot rollers when Haley's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and made a face. "It's your hubby," she said to Brooke. Haley had gotten close to Brooke and Peyton during the last few days and was even happy to be doing the juice fast for Brooke. She had to admit, however, that she was looking forward to wedding cake. With lots and lots of frosting.

Brooke nodded. "Pick it up," she said.

Haley opened her phone and exited the room as she answered, only to return a few minutes later. "He wants to kidnap me for a 'walk and talk,'" Haley told her new friend.

"Oh, a 'walk and talk'? He told me about those! Go. Have your walk and talk. But just remember, you're up…" Brooke looked at the clock on the wall to check the exact time. Brooke Davis was nothing if not precise. "In an hour for hair and make up. Be back by then," she instructed.

Haley grinned at her. "I'll be back by then," she promised, leaving the room once again.

She made her way down the stairs and grabbed her coat off the rack, slipping it on. She opened the door and Lucas was standing right there. "Hey," she said, eyeing the coffee in his hands.

He handed one to her and she nearly groaned in appreciation. "Thank you so much," she said sincerely. "I've never thought of food as contraband before," she joked.

Lucas grinned. "Yeah, well my wife has a way of giving others fresh perspective," he said softly, strolling down the walkway with Haley by his side.

Haley nodded at that. "She sure does. But you know what?" she asked.

"What?" he returned, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You couldn't have found any one else on the planet who suits you any better than Brooke Davis," she told him.

"You really think so?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

She slid her empty hand through his arm to link them together as they walked. "I really think so," she confirmed.

"Oh, Hales. That means so much coming from you," he confessed.

Haley smiled softly at him and was overcome with a sudden feeling of nostalgia. She'd seen Lucas many times since she'd moved away to college and then started her life in New Hampshire, but their time had been limited and she hadn't realized until this very moment _how_ limited. "I've missed you, Lucas," she admitted.

"Right back at ya," he agreed.

She grinned at him then her expression turned sober. "So, what's up, buddy? What did you whisk me away for? Besides the best coffee on the planet," she said approvingly. "Are you nervous about the wedding night?"

Lucas laughed. "No, it's not that," he told her, suddenly serious. "I wanted to talk about _you_."

"Lucas, if this is about Nathan—"

"It's not," he said hurriedly.

He could feel her gaze on him, waiting for him to continue.

"It's about you," he told her tenderly.

"OK," she said tentatively. "What _about_ me?"

"About you…and Adam," he said, pausing for a moment to gauge her reaction.

She sighed softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she told him. "And…I'm sorry that you had to find out like you did. In front of him like that, with Jake there, too."

"Haley, I don't know how to tell you this, but…I've known since the night it happened," he declared.

Haley stopped in her tracks and stared at him for a moment. "What?" she said.

Lucas picked up his pace again, anxious to be doing something, but not wanting to fidget.

"All this time, and you've known?"

Lucas nodded.

"I can't believe he told you," she whispered.

"Don't be mad at Nathan, Haley."

"I'm not mad at him," she told Lucas. "I'm just…surprised that he would tell you."

"He kind of had to," Lucas said.

She looked at him. "Why?" she asked.

"Because he was afraid he was going to kill Adam, and he needed me to stop him," he told her.

"What?" Haley asked in disbelief.

"Well, you know how Nathan beat the shit out of him the first time?"

"Yeah, but he stopped himself," Haley said.

Lucas shook his head. "No, he didn't, Haley," he told her. "_I _stopped him."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Lucas sighed. "I saw Nate at the River Court that night when I was on my way home from Brooke's. I recognized his Dan Scott Motors sweatshirt. It was like two in the morning and I stopped—figuring we could have a game of one on one. But he wasn't playing ball, Haley. He was pounding on Adam. When I walked up," Lucas shook his head at the memory. Even now, he could see it clear as day. "I thought he'd killed him."

Haley swallowed past the lump in her throat, and nodded her head. "So you stopped him."

"Yeah. And I got a black eye in the process," he told her.

"I remember that," she said softly.

"I tried to pull Nathan off him, but I couldn't at first. And when I finally did, he was ready to start swinging at me. He was in such a rage. It scared me," he said honestly. "I'd never seen Nate like that before." He sighed. "Anyway, I went to visit Adam in the hospital the next day, and I told him that if he told the cops it was Nathan, that you were going to press charges. So he never told."

"I always wondered," Haley said. "But I didn't want to ask."

"Now you know," Lucas said softly. "And… I'm glad he told me."

"Why?" Haley asked.

"I know that this sounds crazy, but I was…protective of you. If I hadn't understood why you started turning _to _Nathan and away from me, I never would have forgiven you for choosing him over me."

"Luke, that's not what happened," Haley assured him strongly.

"I know that. But I wouldn't have known had Nathan not told me," he reasoned.

Haley nodded. "Then I'm glad you found out, too."

Lucas stopped and placed a hand on her arm. "Are you OK?" he asked, searching her eyes for the truth.

Haley laughed softly. "I'm OK," she told him, stepping in to give him a hug. She was careful not to spill any of her coffee on him.

He let his coffee fall to the ground and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug, not wanting to let her go. He ran a hand down her hair, smoothing it as if she were a little girl. "I wish I would have been there for you, Haley," he whispered.

Haley nodded. "I'm sorry that I couldn't let you be."

Lucas pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "You'll never know how thankful I am to Nathan for taking care of you, Hales. I—I don't know how he did it. I don't know…how he could see you go through that and…"

She smiled tenderly at Lucas, tears in her eyes. "I'm thankful to him, too," she told her best friend. "You Scott boys are an amazing lot," she teased then her face turned serious. "But Lucas, you have to know—I _am_ fine. What happened to me all those years ago…I've finally moved on from that. I can't tell you that I never think about it, because I won't lie to you. But I don't want you to think that I dwell on it. Or that it hinders me from living my life. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, Lucas. And if it hadn't been for that situation, I wouldn't have Nathan. So I can't be sorry for what happened to me."

Lucas nodded. "God, Hales, you're so strong."

She wiped at the single tear on her left cheek that had escaped from her eye. "It's easy to be strong when you have so many people behind you," she told him.

"And you _do_, Haley," he reminded her.

"I know I do," she said with certainty.

"Wow," he said in disbelief.

"What?" she asked as they started walking once again after Lucas had collected his coffee cup.

"You know what we did here, don't you?" he asked.

"What?" she asked again.

"We just made history."

"Lucas, what are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"This was the heaviest 'walk and talk' ever," he told her.

She rolled her eyes. "You're crazy," she told him.

He just laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. He gave her a squeeze and a kiss on the temple. "Only about you and my wife, Hales," he promised.

777

"Oh, my God!" Brooke said later that night as she, Haley, and Peyton were standing near the cake table. "Did you see me trip on my dress when I walked in?"

Peyton laughed. "Yeah, I did. It was classic Brooke."

Brooke laughed. "Thank God my husband had the good sense to catch me."

Haley smiled at Lucas' wife. "Trust me, Brooke. Lucas will _always_ be there to catch you," she said softly.

Brooke smiled thankfully at Haley.

"And if you'll excuse me, I need to run to the little girls room," she said quickly. "Don't cut the cake without me." She'd been eyeing it all day.

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Brooke yelled to Haley's retreating form.

Haley bit her lower lip and grinned to herself. As she made her way throught the meze of occupied tables, her eyes found Nathan's across the room and she gave her head a soft tilt towards the restrooms.

She watched as he interrupted whomever it was he was talking to and placed his wineglass down on the nearest table. _God, he looks hot in a suit and tie_, she thought to herself as she rounded the corner.

She grinned at a woman who had just left the restroom and looked around. There was no one else there, so she waited.

"God, you look hot in that dress," Nathan whispered huskily as he made his way around the corner. She was wearing a light turquoise silky dress with spaghetti straps and a v-neck. It was long enough so that it just brushed the floor as she walked and her hair was pinned up in soft curls, a few falling down to frame her face.

He took her in his arms and nuzzled her neck, causing her breath to catch. "Wait," she whispered raggedly, pushing him away.

He groaned. "More waiting? Haley, don't you think we've waited long enough?"

The smoky look in her eyes told him that she did. Reaching into her matching satin purse, she pulled out a key and held it up in front of him. "I made friends with the janitor today while we were setting up the place," she told him, taking him by the hand and leading him to a locked door he hadn't even noticed.

He grinned at her. "My, aren't you resourceful."

"Nathan Scott, you have no idea," she warned him, flipping the light on and closing the door behind them. When she turned around, she crashed right into Nathan. Before she could regain her balance on her own, he'd taken hold of her upper arms to steady her. She barely had time to recover before his lips came down onto hers in a hungry kiss. She let out a surprised whimper and then lifted her arms around his neck. She took a step towards him with such ferocity, he stumbled backwards. Pulling away, he started to laugh and she couldn't help but grin back at him.

"Hold on," he said, looking around. The room was shaped like an L, and he found an empty spot on the wall just around the corner, out of sight of the door. "Here we go," he said, pulling her in that direction. He pushed her lightly against the wall and while his lips found hers again, his hands found the fabric of her dress just below her thighs. He gave it a quick tug upward and placed one of his knees between her legs.

"Nathan," she said breathlessly as he pulled his lips from hers and found the bare skin of her shoulder.

"Nathan…what?" he prompted lifting his head to look into her eyes.

"More," she said helplessly. It was the only syllable she could muster.

He grinned at her, his eyes not leaving hers as he lifted one of her arms out to her side. He found the crease of her elbow with his lips and she shivered at the contact, closing her eyes in pleasure. She was surprised by the way a mere kiss on that part of her body could make her feel. The word blissful sprung to mind.

"Haley?" he whispered, placing a hand underneath her chin and lifting her face.

Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes.

"I have to make something clear," he told her.

She nodded. "This is a one time thing," she said for him.

A look of surprise flickered across his features. "No," he said vehemently, shaking his head. And then he said it again. "No. That's not what I was going to say."

She looked at him expectantly through heavy lidded eyes.

Nathan took a deep breath and went for honesty. He had to take a step backwards so he could regain his composure. When he finally did, he continued. "Haley, listen to me. The night before I went to college…" he trialed off.

She nodded. "When you didn't want me," she said matter-of-factly.

"No, Haley. The thing is…I don't remember ever _not_ wanting you," he told her. "I was afraid," he admitted.

Disbelieving laughter bubbled up Haley's throat. "_You_ were afraid?" she said skeptically.

"Yes," he admitted softly.

"Of what, Nathan?"

"That I wouldn't be enough for you," he said.

"What?" she asked astounded.

"That I wouldn't _make _it good enough for you. That I wouldn't be able to go slow enough or that I'd somehow scare you, and Haley, that thought was enough to make me push you away. Because I couldn't stand the thought of hurting you in any way, Haley. Not after what you'd been through," he said in a rush, as if he needed to get it out or he'd explode.

Haley's eyes filled with tears and she cupped his face with her hands. "You could never hurt me," she said quietly.

"But I—"

"You could never hurt me," she said again searching his face, trying to reassure him with her eyes.

He stood there for a moment looking at her and he knew she believed it. She made _him_ believe it. The amount of trust she had in him was overwhelming and he knew right then that he wanted to take care of her forever. "Haley, I think I lo—"

Nathan broke off as the door opened and laughter floated into the room. He gave Haley a gentle push further around the corner and moved with her, keeping them out of sight. "I stole the key from the janitor earlier today," they heard Brooke say.

"That's my girl," came Lucas' husky voice.

"I don't know what the hell got into me, thinking going without you for three days was a good idea! Lucas, I have never _been_ so out of my mind!"

Haley's eyes widened and her face broke into a grin. Nathan quickly lifted a hand to her mouth and with his other one put his index finger to his lips and made a 'sshh" face. He could feel her start to shake with silent laughter and moved his forehead in so it was resting against hers, a grin on his own face.

"Let's make a pact right now," Lucas said. "We never go more than twenty four hours without sex again."

"No way. Twelve," Brooke said urgently.

"Deal," he said, and there was silence. Haley knew they were kissing and she shuddered to think what was going to happen next.

"Dammitt, Lucas," they heard Brooke say. "Get me out of this damn dress!"

Haley's eyes widened even more and she tried to move, but Nathan took a step closer trapping her with his warm body and shaking his head no.

"Dammitt, Lucas, I want you now!" they heard Brooke say frustratedly.

Haley couldn't take it anymore. She gently bit Nathan's hand, causing him to pull it away, and she gave him a nudge. His first thought was that if there wasn't anyone else in here, that nip of hers would have been a real turn on for him. _Come to think of it…_

"Is this where they keep the extra cups?" Haley asked brightly, as she came around the corner.

"Geez, Haley," Lucas said in surprise. "I didn't know you were in here!"

"Obviously," she said dryly.

"Nathan?" Brooke said as he came around the corner.

He gave a half hearted wave.

Brooke's eyes narrowed calculatingly. "What were _you_ guys doing in here?" she asked.

"Oh, sweet Lord," Haley said when the door flew open and a giggling Peyton followed by Jake came stumbling in. Her face immediately sobered. "What's going on?" she asked, dismayed to find the room already occupied.

"Well, apparently this place is turning into make out central," Haley said caustically.

"Yeah, well we didn't exactly come in here to _make out_," Lucas said winking at Brooke.

She playfully hit him in the chest, but Brooke, being Brooke, didn't even blush. Instead, she looked at Haley and nodded her head at Nathan. "So, are you still maintaining that Celtic here isn't hot for teacher?" she asked with a sly grin.

Haley's face reddened and Nathan grinned. "She had a…run in her nylons and I was gonna help her get out of them," he explained.

"Yeah, I'll _bet_ you were," Brooke said knowingly.


	17. Chapter 16

Peyton picked up her cell for the tenth time in five minutes to see if she'd missed a call when Haley snagged it out of her hand and put it on the table. "Peyton, those babies are fine," she assured her new friend.

Peyton sighed. "My dad's never been alone with them before," she said worriedly.

Haley rolled her eyes. "And he's not now. Jenny's with him."

Peyton still didn't look very reassured, but before she could worry anymore, Brooke spoke up.

"So, you are never going to guess what my _fabulous_ new husband got me for a wedding present," she said excitedly.

"What?" Haley asked, catching some of Brooke's excitement.

Her eyes started dancing and she grinned. "A honeymoon. To Acapulco!" she exclaimed.

"That _is_ exciting!" Peyton agreed.

Brooke nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. But here's the thing. Our flight leaves in just a few hours, so we have to get on the road to the airport," she said, suddenly sad.

Peyton reached over and gave her friends hand a squeeze. "Brooke, it's going to be fine," she teased. "You _do_ know about sex, right?" she asked.

"She sure does," Lucas said, appearing right behind his wife. He leaned down and nuzzled the back of her neck. "We really need to get going, babe," he said.

Brooke nodded. "I know," she said, looking around. She looked at the clock on the wall and it was well past midnight. And she hadn't noticed before now, but the only people left were her and Lucas, Peyton, Jake, Nathan, and Haley.

"Go say goodbye to the guys," she instructed. "I'm going to say my goodbyes to the girls."

Lucas nodded and disappeared once again.

Brooke reached for her bag on the table and pulled out her cell phone. "I need your numbers, Haley," she said, her fingers flying over the screen on her IPhone.

"Sure," Haley said, giving Brooke her cell and phone number. In turn, Brooke gave her number to Haley. "And when I get back from my honeymoon in five days, don't think I won't call you."

Haley laughed. "I'm looking forward to it," she promised.

"Yeah, whatever," Brooke said. "I just need to know what's going to happen with you and Nathan."

Haley's face turned beet red. "Brooke, nothing is going to happen with Nathan and me," she said. "I leave to go home tomorrow."

Brooke cocked an eyebrow at Haley. "There's always tonight," she said.

"Down, girl," Peyton teased.

Brooke sighed. "It was so nice getting to know you, Haley," she said sincerely. "Lucas has a really great best friend. And one I'm totally unjealous of!" she admitted.

Haley laughed. "It was nice to meet you, too, Brooke," she said, and then tears came to her eyes. "Take good care of Lucas," she said hoarsely.

"I will," Brooke promised. "But you have to do something for me, too," she said.

"What's that?" Haley asked.

"Not go so long without seeing him this time," she said. "He really missed you, Haley."

Haley nodded. "I won't," she agreed.

"Good," Brooke said.

"Are you done with this one?" Lucas asked, walking up behind Haley and putting his hands on her shoulders.

Brooke nodded. "I'm just getting ready to move on to Peyton," she said.

"Good," Luke said as Haley stood up. They walked to an area out of earshot from the others before either one of them spoke.

"I'm so glad you came home for Christmas this year," Lucas said.

"Me, too."

"And…let's not go so long without seeing each other again," Lucas said determinedly.

Haley laughed. "That's what I promised your wife."

Lucas grinned. "She's a good girl."

Haley nodded in agreement.

"Take good care of yourself, Haley," Lucas said, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a squeeze.

"I will," she whispered, squeezing him back.

"One more thing, Hales," Lucas said into her ear.

She waited for him to speak again.

"Don't break my brother's heart," he said softly.

Lucas felt her flinch before she pulled away and met his eyes. "Luke—"

"Nathan's been on his own for a long time, Haley. And I know it seems like he's strong. And he is. But when it comes to you…well, you've been Nathan's weakness for years. Even a fool can see that."

"I'm not…Nathan doesn't see me like that," Haley denied.

"Yes he does," Lucas argued. "Just…go easy on him, Hales. That's all I'm asking."

Haley nodded wordlessly.

"I'll call you when I get back from my honeymoon?" he said.

"I'll be waiting by the phone," she vowed.

Lucas grinned. "Glad to hear it."

777

"You OK?" Nathan asked with concern. Haley hadn't said a word since they'd gotten in the vehicle.

She looked up and gave him a soft smile. He could just make it out in the darkness. "I'm OK," she assured him.

He nodded. "Good," he said, reaching over and taking her hand in his.

"Nathan?"

"Yeah?" he returned, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Let's…not go home tonight," she said hesitantly.

His eyes flew to her face. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well…we both brought clothes in case we weren't able to drive home. So…let's…let's not go home."

Nathan swallowed anxiously. "Where do you want to go?" he asked.

She shrugged. "There's a Sheraton just over the town line," she said. She tried to sound nonchalant, but she knew her voice was thick with emotion.

Nathan nodded. "Are you…sure?"

"I'm sure," she said.

"OK," he said.

777

Haley was waiting by the elevators while Nathan was checking them in. She could hear the front desk clerk asking him if they'd been in a wedding that night. Their attire had given them away and as Nathan stood there in his suit, his back to her, she was still enthralled by the sight of him. He looked so lean and built, and Haley was standing there in anticipation with his coat over her shoulders. She nearly sighed when she saw the woman hand Nathan their room key. He turned around with their bags and headed for Haley, not quite meeting her eyes.

He finally did when he reached her. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded as she pressed the elevator button and they stood there in silence waiting for the doors to open. They finally did, and it wasn't long before Haley and Nathan were standing in front of the door that led to their room.

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked searching her eyes. She understood what he was doing—he was giving her one last chance for an out.

Instead of answering, she took the key card from his hand and slid it into the lock. When she heard the door click, she gave it a push and walked through. It was a simple room that held a king sized bed with a navy blue comforter and crisp white pillowcases with a large mirror hung on the wall above it. There was a cherry night stand on each side of the bed with lamps on them, a stand with a television across from it, and a desk next to that on the other side of the room closest to the windows. The only other furniture in the room was two plush wine colored chairs with a stand up lamp in between them. Haley swallowed nervously and stepped further into the room, allowing Nathan to step in from the hallway.

Suddenly even more nervous, she turned around. "I think I'm going to take a shower," she announced.

"OK," Nathan said surprised. "I'll…see you in a little while."

Haley nodded and took her bag from him and made her way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She put her bag down then turned the shower on so it was steaming hot. She pulled the straps of her dress down over her arms and let it slide down her body, then stepped out of it. She picked it up and hung it from the hook on the back of the door, then stepped into the shower.

777

Haley had been in the bathroom for almost half an hour. Nathan had heard the shower stop ten minutes ago, followed by the sound of the hair dryer. He was lying down on the bed in his pajama bottoms watching the highlights from the days' games with his feet crossed at the ankles when he finally heard the hair dryer stop and the bathroom door open. The only light on in the room was the lamp on the other side of the bed so when Haley opened the door, the light from the bathroom was at her back. Nathan couldn't help but think how much she looked like an angel, and that in just a little while, she was going to be his. "Everything OK?" he asked hoarsely, sitting up and moving to the edge of the mattress.

She bit her lower lip and took a step toward the bed. "Everything is fine," she said nervously, taking another step.

She finally came to stand between his legs and he looked up at her. She took a deep breath and then let it out, then lowered her lips to his. He lifted his arms to her waist and pulled her closer to him. He could feel her shiver at his touch and pulled away. "Haley?" he asked.

She looked at his face, waiting.

"Will you do something for me?"

She nodded.

He pulled an arm away from her waist and reached for something sitting beside him. "Will you put this on?" he asked.

She took it from him and unfolded it. It was one of his T-shirts, a light blue one with Duke written in bold letters across the chest.

"You want me to put this on?" she asked.

He nodded.

"But…why?" she asked.

"Because this is the way I've always imagined you," he admitted, suddenly thinking of the dream he'd had the first night he'd arrived in Tree Hill.

"You've imagined this?" she said in surprise.

"Oh, Haley," he said huskily. "You have no idea the things I've imagined about you."

"Do you want me to…have anything else on?" she asked breathlessly.

Nathan swallowed, his throat suddenly dry then shook his head.

Haley was too timid to change right there in front of him, so she took the t-shirt into the bathroom to put it on.

When she came back out wearing it, it was longer than the nighty she'd had on before, but that didn't matter. She looked sexier in his t-shirt, Nathan thought as she walked towards him once again. He lifted his legs up onto the bed and leaned back against his pillows. Haley put her knees on the mattress and crawled closer to him. When she reached him, she lifted one knee over his midsection so there was one on each side of his waist just above the waistband on his pajama bottoms. As she settled down on his belly, he took in a sharp breath. Just like in his dream, she wasn't wearing any panties.

Nathan suddenly felt like he needed to have her right then, and he lifted his hands to her waist. With one swift move, he had her on her back looking down at her. With all of the willpower he could muster, he determined to take his time, slowly leaning down and finding her lips again. As his tongue moved with hers, one of his hands found the skin just inside of her knee, and he slowly brought his hand upward, tenderly caressing the flesh. When Nathan reached her inner thigh, he felt her freeze.

He lifted his head and looked down at her needing to know she wasn't scared.

"Nathan…" Haley whispered nervously.

He gave her an encouraging nod to go on.

"There hasn't been…I haven't been with anyone since…that night," she told him

Nathan swallowed audibly. But instead of the fear he was expecting, he felt a sense of honor. He took her face in his hands and leaned down, softly kissing her on the lips once again. "Thank you for choosing me," he whispered.


	18. Chapter 17

"Hey," Nathan said sleepily as he opened his eyes. Haley was sitting on the edge of the bed in their hotel room putting her shoes on.

She smiled softly at him.

"You're…dressed," he said softly then yawned. He moved up onto his side, put an arm around her waist to pull her closer to him. "I was ready for round two," he admitted.

She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "You mean round _four_?" she teased.

Nathan chuckled. "Whatever."

"We have to go," she told him. "My flight leaves this afternoon and I wanted to spend some more time with my parents before I left. You know, since Brooke monopolized me for three entire days," she said dryly.

"You know what I think?" he asked.

"What?"

"_I _think you liked it."

She rolled her eyes. "OK, so I kind of did. I've never had any really close girlfriends before. It was Lucas and then…pretty much _you_."

Nathan frowned. "What about while you were at college?" he asked.

"I hit the books pretty hard," she told him. "Every spare second was spent studying."

"You didn't make time for friends and partying?" he asked.

She laughed. "I had a scholarship to keep. And no. No parties."

"Because there were guys there?" he asked softly.

She laughed. "You're inquisitive this morning," she said.

"Are you dodging my question?" he asked.

"No," she said softly. "I'm not. No partying because I didn't want to be around the alcohol. It tends to change peoples personalities and I wasn't interested in who they were when they were intoxicated." She shrugged. "And they weren't really interested in me while I _wasn't_."

"They have no idea what they were missing," he told her. "Why didn't you come to college with me? I could have taken care of you."

"Nathan, don't," she said, standing up.

"You should have come away with me, Haley," he told her.

"How? We never would have made it, Nathan," she said. "Our friendship wouldn't have survived me tagging along all the while _you_ were at Duke."

"We would have found a way." Pause. "You have no idea what it was like for me that first year, Haley," he said. "I would lie awake at night, worrying about you, wondering if you could sleep. Or if you were scared. All I could picture was you lying in bed. Alone. And terrified."

"I'm sorry," she said feelingly. "I never stopped to think about it from your point of view."

"No, you didn't."

_Haley sighed as another one of her aunts pinched her cheeks and said in a baby voice, "We're so proud of our little Haley Waley. High school graduation is a big day!"_

_Haley smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Gretchen," she said half-heartedly. When her aunt finally let go of her cheeks, Haley immediately took advantage of the situation. She looked around and no one seemed to be watching her, so she shot her way up the back stairs and fled to her room. When she finally reached it, she slammed the door behind her. She leaned up against it, her entire body sagging. _

_"Hey," she heard._

_Gasping, she threw a hand to her chest. "Nathan! What are you doing in here?" she said, her eyes flying to her bed. He was sitting on it with his back against the wall, his ankles crossed._

_"Avoiding your aunts," he said dryly. And then in a high pitched voice, "Which one are you again? Oh, right, you're Craig's friend, Johnathan."_

_Haley laughed and walked over to the mirror. She leaned in close and turned her head from side to side studying her cheeks._

_"What are you looking for?" Nathan asked in amusement._

_"Bruises," she said wryly._

_"What?" he asked._

_"Nothing," she said, turning back around. "Why are you in my room?"_

_"Well, you spent most of last year in mine," he teased._

_"This is true," she conceded._

_"Did you apply to Duke?" he asked._

_She laughed. "No. Of course not!"_

_"Why not?" he asked._

_"Because it's my dream to go to Stanford, Nathan. You know I've always wanted to go there."_

_"Alone?" he asked softly._

_"I'm a big girl. I'm pretty sure I can handle going to college alone."_

_He sighed. "But I don't want you to have to."_

_"I don't __**have **__to, Nathan, I __**want**__ to."_

_He shrugged. "So I'll go to Stanford," he said without missing a beat._

_"Nathan, no you won't."_

_"Why not?"_

_"For one thing, it's too late for you to apply. And way too late to get any financial aid. You'd never be able to afford it."_

_"And for another?" he asked._

_"I don't want you to."_

_He took a deep breath, but she went on before he could speak._

_"You're not my keeper, Nathan. But you've been a __**great**__ friend. And __**I'm**__ not going to be a lousy one by letting you give up your life __**or**__ your dreams for me."_

_"Haley, that's my choice."_

_She shook her head. "No, it's not. I'm taking that choice away from you. You're going to Duke. You're going to continue playing basketball. And you're going to chase your dream of one day going pro. Just like I'm going to chase mine."_

_"Haley—"_

_She sat down on the bed beside him and lifted a hand to his cheek. "I love you for wanting to take care of me. But I won't let you do it, Nathan." She looked into his eyes. "I'm going to be just fine. And I'm going to do it alone. I __**need**__ to do it alone."_

_He moved his head so his mouth was against her palm. He gave it a soft kiss and then captured her wrist in his hand and pulled her roughly against his chest. He squeezed her tightly. Then shook his head. "2798 miles across the country. You don't do anything halfway, do you, Haley J?" he teased._

_"Not if I can help it, Number 23."_

_He pushed her away and held on to her upper arms, looking into her eyes. "Take care of yourself, Haley."_

It was the last time she'd seen him until he'd shown up for Christmas this year.

She sighed. "I'm sorry for making you worry," she said softly.

"It's not your fault," he finally said. "It's…me. I just…have this protective vibe going on when it comes to you."

She grinned at him. "Well I like it," she told him.

He grinned back and she leaned down to give him a soft kiss on the lips. "Are you going to shower?" she asked.

"After," he said with a sly smirk.

"After _what_?" she asked.

He looked at her shirt and tugged at the hem, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She smiled. "_One_ more round," she said firmly.

"Not counting the one in the shower, right?" he asked.

She laughed and leaned down into him.

777

"So, where did you two end up staying last night?" Lydia asked as Nathan sat down at the bar in the kitchen to eat the breakfast she'd made for him. French toast and bacon with some fresh squeezed orange juice. His favorite. He took a swallow of his drink and then cleared his throat.

"We stayed at Jake and Peyton's," he lied.

"Hmmm…" she said thoughtfully.

"What?" Nathan asked, taking a bite of bacon.

"That's what Haley told me, too…but it's the damndest thing." She looked him straight in the eye. "When I called them to ask if they'd seen either one of you, neither them had."

He choked on his piece of bacon and had to cough forcefully to finally clear his throat. "Mrs. James—" he started.

"It's none of my business," she said with an amused grin. "You and Haley are both adults." She turned back to the dishes in the sink. "So, back to Boston, huh?" she asked.

He nodded even though she couldn't see him. "Back to Boston."

"Excited to get back to that basketball career of yours?" she asked in a teasing tone.

For the first time ever, Nathan wasn't so sure he was. "Yeah," he said weakly.

Lydia turned around and tossed her dish towel up on her shoulder, leaning against the counter in front of the sink. "Are you sure about that? Because that didn't sound very sincere," she said, her eyes narrowing.

"I am," he said. "I love my job. I just…I forgot how much I liked being around family," he admitted.

Lydia grinned. "Then remember that come Fourth of July," she told him. "And Thanksgiving _and_ Christmas. Because it's been way too long between visits, Nate. Don't let it happen again."

He laughed. "I won't," he promised.

777

"So, what happens from here?" Nathan asked later that morning. He hated posing the question. It made him feel like a teenage girl, but he had to know. And it was almost time to leave for the airport.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked, pulling her clothes out of her drawers and walking over to her bed to drop them into her suitcase. She continued going back and forth between the two.

Nathan put his hands in his jeans pockets and stepped further into her room. "With us," he clarified. "We only live an hour and a half apart, Haley," he pointed out. "Me in Boston, you in New Hampshire."

Haley laughed and then wrinkled her nose. "Long distance things never work."

"How do you know?"

She stopped what she was doing and put her hands on her hips. She smiled softly at him. "Let's just let last night be what it was."

"And what was that?" he asked.

"We had...an amazing time. But that's all it was. One night."

"And the morning after," he reminded her.

She nodded. "And the morning after," she agreed.

"So…this is it?" he asked doubtfully.

"This is it."

He nodded. "OK," he said quietly.

They both turned their heads towards the knock on her doorframe. "You kids almost ready?" Jimmy asked. "We really need to get going if you're both going to make your flights."

Haley nodded. "I'm almost ready, Dad."

"My suitcase is by the door," Nathan said.

"OK," Jimmy said. "I'll see you downstairs."

"So this is good bye again," Nathan said.

Haley didn't say anything, just nodded.

Nathan walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. Then he said the same thing he'd said to her all those years ago. "Take care of yourself, Haley." This time he followed it with a soft kiss.

777

Nathan looked out the window of his plane and sighed. Haley's flight had left an hour before his had and he'd spent the time in between with her parents at the airport. He'd told them that they could leave, but they'd refused to, saying that it was their job to see him off. He was so thankful for them and silently scolded himself for forgetting how important the entire family was to him. Just like he'd promised Lydia, he wouldn't go that long without seeing them again.

He picked up his phone and dialed Craig's phone number. Craig had left Tree Hill a few days ago, and Nathan hadn't spent as much time as he'd wanted to with his friend.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Nathan said.

"What's up?" Craig asked.

"I just thought you should know…I'm gonna ask Haley to marry me."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Craig?"

"I'm here," he said. "Now…what did you just say?"

"I'm said I'm gonna marry Haley," he repeated.

"Oh," Craig said in surprise. "Does…she know?"

"Not yet," Nathan said dryly.

"Well…why not?" Craig asked hesitantly.

Nathan took a deep breath. "You know your sister. She gets scared, and she runs. I'm waiting for her to come back."

"And if she doesn't?" Craig asked.

"She will," Nathan said. "It just might be a long wait."

"Well, congratulations, man," Craig said.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later," Nathan said, closing his phone.


	19. Chapter 18

_Five months later…_

Haley reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and removed the contents, placing them in the box on the floor at her feet. There was a knock on her classroom door and she looked up with a grin. "Hey, Lisa," she said. Lisa had the classroom across the hall from Haley's and had since Haley had been there. The two had clicked instantly and Lisa had become Haley's closest friend in New Hampshire.

"Hey," Lisa said sadly.

Haley laughed. "Stop trying to make me feel guilty," she said.

"You're leaving us," Lisa reminded her with a pout.

"Yes, I'm leaving you," Haley agreed. "For greener pastures."

"Really?"

Haley cocked an eyebrow. "Well, it hardly ever snows in North Carolina," she teased. "So I guess there is _some_ truth to it."

Lisa sat down at one of the desks. "What am I going to do without you?" she asked.

Haley smiled softly at her friend. "You're going to be fine. For one thing, you have this _huge_ wedding to plan—"

"_Without_ you," Lisa said, propping her chin on her hand.

"And your sister is almost done college," Haley continued. "So she'll be coming home."

"Thank God," Lisa said.

"And if all else fails," Haley grinned mischievously, "you can always buddy up to Mrs. Wilson."

"_That_ crotchety old bat?" Lisa said in disgust. "Do you know that she won't even let me call her by her first name? Even when we're in the teachers lounge."

Haley laughed. "Me, neither," she said. "And I wasn't even her student!"

Lisa laughed and stood up. "Movie night tonight?" she asked.

Haley nodded.

"And since you're leaving, will you _finally_ tell me what happened while you were in Tree Hill over Christmas break?" she begged.

Haley laughed at her friend. Lisa had noticed a change in her immediately when she'd returned to New Hampshire, but Haley had refused to share any information. Her time with Nathan was just that—_hers_. And she didn't want to ruin it by sharing it with anyone else. "Nope," she said with a grin.

"_Haley_," Lisa whined.

Haley laughed. "Maybe one day," she said wistfully. "But for now, I just…I can't, Lisa. I…I _won't_."

"Fine," Lisa said dramatically. "But _some_ day, Haley James, you're going to want to tell me what happened, and I just might not even be here."

Haley laughed. "Are you kidding me? You'll be waiting by the phone for _that_ call," she teased.

"OK, you're right," Lisa said with a wide grin. "I'm off. I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight," Haley agreed.

777

Haley tossed her map into the passengers' seat and after paying the parking fee, found an empty spot in the Government Center Garage—a five minute walk from TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. She had left Lisa's late that afternoon claiming that she wanted to drive at night and sleep during the day to avoid huge amounts of traffic during her travels, but it was, of course, a lie. The truth was she had tickets to game four of the NBA finals—Celtics versus the Lakers. She couldn't even think about the price she'd paid for the ticket on E-bay. If she did, she was certain she'd faint. But her credit card had never been used for anything better, she decided, stepping out of her car. She made her way to the crowded elevator and was able to get on the fourth time the doors opened.

Lucas and Brooke were sure to be at the game tonight, but she wasn't concerned about that. The place was going to be packed. They'd never even see her in the throng and they had no idea she was even going to be there. When she walked into the arena, she couldn't help but smile. The anticipation at seeing Nathan play live again was exhilarating and she could feel her skin start to tingle at the thought. She looked around to see if she could find her seat and was surprised. She was seated behind the Celtics bench. Granted, it was way up, but it was still exciting. She was going to be right in the middle of the action.

She made her way through the swarm of people and finally sank down onto her seat. She immediately opened the program she'd bought on her way in, her eyes devouring every word and picture. There was a stat sheet and pictures of every man on the team, but she was only interested in one. After reading the introduction and history of the team, she flipped until she found Nathan's page. There were three pictures of him—one in his home uniform holding a basketball smiling into the camera, one in a room full of underprivileged children reading a book to them, and another one in his street clothes—a pair of jeans and a Duke Blue Devils T-shirt. Her eyebrows came together as recognition kicked in and she looked closer. She'd bet anything she owned that that T-shirt was the one Nathan had asked her to put on the night they'd made love.

So absorbed was she reading his biography that she didn't even notice the Celtics taking the floor until she heard the masses start to cheer. She leapt to her feet with everyone else and her breath caught in her throat. She stood up on the arms of her chair to get a better look. Nathan was one of the first ones out, and he ran over to the Celtics bench in his warm up suit. He took off his short sleeved jacket and gave his pants a tug so they came unbuttoned down the legs and tossed them onto one of the seats. He was in his home uniform, white with green trim. It said Celtics across the chest in the same green as the trim and underneath that was the number 23. Nathan's number for as long as she could remember. She stepped down off the arms of her chair and watched as the men did their warm ups. When they were done, the lights dimmed while the players were announced, and Haley was so filled with pride when they rattled of Nathan's name. No one received more cheers than he had.

It was a rocky start with the Lakers gaining possession of the ball right from tip off. They made the first basket—a three pointer, and due to three turnovers in the first few minutes of the game, they made the next three baskets as well. The Celtics coach finally called a time out—which Haley knew from watching the games on television he hated to do so early in the first quarter. When they took the floor again, it was clear that whatever he'd said had made an impact on his team. The Celtics stole the ball and immediately passed it to Nathan, who made it to the other end of the court and shot a three pointer before anyone could make it to him. The crowd went crazy with the Celtics first basket and the team seemed to feed off the enthusiasm. They became dominant in every way and Haley found herself chanting along with the crowd. "Beat L.A.!" she yelled, clapping along with the syllables. By the time halftime came—with the home team up by 23 points, her hands hurt and her throat was sore, but she didn't care. She sighed and sat down in her seat, her eyes lifting to the big screen that was suspended from the ceiling and visible from all four sides. Immediately recognizing the faces gracing the screen, she almost choked on the soda she'd just bought from the vendor. The caption beneath read: _Best selling author, Lucas Scott—Number 23 Nathan Scotts brother—and his sister-in-law, designer Brooke Davis Scott._

"Did you know that Nathan Scott was named Boston's most eligible bachelor?" the girl in front of her asked her friend.

"Are you surprised?" the friend asked. "With that body…" She sighed dramatically. "Can you even imagine him walking through the front door every night?" She giggled. "I'd never even leave the house again!"

The girls broke into fits of laugher, and Haley had to bite her lip to keep from joining in. She certainly didn't want to be caught eavesdropping.

She studied the pictures of Nathan in the program again and read his stat sheet—twice actually—before the Celtics finally took the floor again. They headed for their bench, and Haley couldn't tear her eyes away from Nathan's form. When he reached the seats, he grabbed a water bottle and took a large drink, his body facing the crowd. He finally lowered it, and as if he could feel her gaze on him, his eyes immediately found hers. He stood there—his bottle suspended in the air, and studied her for a moment, then shook his head as if not believing it was really her.

Haley's breath caught in her throat and she hastily sat down in her seat. There were more than 18,000 people in this arena. There was _no_ way Nathan had just picked her out of thin air. _Fate_ her mind screamed, but she refused to listen.

777

The game resumed, and it was clear by the way he was playing that something had shaken Nathan Scott up. A time out was called, and the coach called him over.

"What's with your game, Nate?" he barked.

"I just…thought I saw someone I knew," he said weakly.

"Do you want to rekindle old friendships or do you want to win a trophy," the coach asked.

"Trophy," Nathan said immediately—just as he'd been trained to. But it was a lie. _Trophy or Haley? Haley every damned time._

"Then play like it," the coach snapped.

Nodding, Nathan ran back out onto the court and forced himself to focus.

777

The game was over, and the Celtics had won, 97-91. They'd cleared the floor, and the spectators were beginning to clear the arena.

Haley made her way to the aisle and was walking down the seats to make her way out the door when she felt a hand at her elbow. Her heart rate sped up for just a panicked moment before she turned around.

"Excuse me, miss," a security guard said abruptly. "I need you to come with me."

"Why?" Haley asked in confusion.

"I'm not allowed to answer any questions," he said with a frown. Increasing his grip on her elbow, he began to steer her down onto the court and towards a door off the floor she hadn't even noticed. He pulled out a key and slid it into the lock, then opened the door, pulling her through it with him.

"But I—I didn't do anything!"

"Please wait here," he said, putting her in a room and shutting the door behind him.

Haley sighed and sat down in a wine colored plush chair that was in the room. What in the _hell_ was going on?

Forty five minutes later, Haley was pacing back and forth in the little room. The security guard hadn't come back and she'd tried the door, but it wouldn't open. She spun around when she heard a click and felt her breath catch.

"Nathan," she breathed.

"Hello, Haley," he said softly, walking further into the room. He dropped his green colored canvas bag onto the floor and moved toward her apprehensively. He stopped when she took a step back.

"How are you?" she asked nervously.

"That was going to be my question," he told her with a smirk.

She nodded a little too eagerly, trying not notice that his hair was still wet from his recent shower. _You've showered with him_, her mind taunted. "I'm great," she said.

"Yeah?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yeah," she said weakly.

"I'm not doing so great," he said.

She didn't ask why, just stood there nervously wringing her hands behind her back.

"I miss you," he said honestly.

And that was all she needed to hear. She flew forward and Nathan caught her. She lifted her face at the same time he lowered his and their lips met forcefully. Haley's mouth opened instantly and Nathan's tongue took possession of hers. He felt her falling into him and stumbled backwards until the wall was holding them up. Nathan had never been able to say that a kiss had weakened him before, but that was the only way to describe _this_ kiss. He bent his knees and wrapped his arms around the backs of Haley's thighs then stood, her legs encircling his waist. Her hands lifted to the wall behind him to steady her and she lifted her lips from his. "I missed you, too," she said, trying to catch her breath.

He smirked up at her. "Yeah, I got that," he said, lifting his face to hers once more.

She pulled away again. "Does this door lock?" she asked.

He nodded and she grinned down at him.

"I think I'm ready for round…" she laughed softly. "I lost track."

"Six," he supplied, letting her body slide down his until her feet hit the floor. He studied her face for a second. "If we do this, _then_ what happens?" he asked softly. "Are you just going to disappear again?"

She bit her lower lip and looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.

Nathan held his breath for a moment, and then did the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He stepped away from her. "Thanks for coming to see us play," he said abruptly, as he turned to leave.

"Nathan—"

"I'll have security escort you to your car," he said as he grabbed his bag and left the room.

Haley sighed and leaned against the wall they'd just been braced against. _What in the hell had just happened?_

_Author's Note: In real life, game four of the NBA finals took place in Los Angeles, not Boston. But I'm not concerned with real life in this case, only fiction. So I changed things to suit my purposes! I hope you liked this chapter. I have a feeling some people aren't going to be happy about the time jump, but it had to be done to advance the story._

_And I have to admit, this is my favorite chapter for this story so far—mostly because I can just picture Nathan playing basketball and it makes me just a little hot under the collar. LOL _

_Also—as far as Nathan telling Craig that he was going to marry Haley, I think some of you thought he meant immediately, but that's not the case. He meant that he was going to wait until he knew she was ready for him. Sorry for the confusion. Maybe I didn't do a very good job of clarifying that when I wrote it._

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_


	20. Chapter 19

When Nathan awoke the next morning, the first thing he did was promptly close his eyes and groan. He was in bed alone. _Again_. And it was all Haley's fault.

Oh, he'd been propositioned last night. So many times that he'd lost count. He'd gone out with his teammates to celebrate after the game and the women were always throwing themselves at him. There'd been some alcohol, but they were on strict orders to keep it limited as they were in playoffs. Actually—they were under strict orders not to drink at all, but they never listened. But Nathan hadn't touched a drop. It was very rare that he did. He refused to be anything like his mother. As far as he was concerned—addiction equaled weakness, and he wouldn't be weak. If he _had _had something to drink, he probably would have been able to find _someone_ to warm his bed last night. OK, able wasn't the right word. Willing was probably more accurate.

But Haley had ruined that for him, too. It had been five months since he'd been with _any_one. What was the point? He'd been waiting for her since he was seventeen years old, and now that he'd had her, he knew that no other woman was going to taste as good as she did, be as soft as she was. Nathan sighed and grabbed his pillow, covering his head with it. He could still hear her crying out his name, could still see her head thrown back in passion as she rode him. He groaned again.

Walking away from Haley last night had been _the_ hardest thing he'd ever had to do. It was harder even than when he'd left for college. Now that he knew what it was like to _be_ with her, he felt like half a man. And the part that was missing—_her._

He was trying to be a patient man, but it was getting harder and harder by the minute. He knew Haley, knew that if he went to her and told her he wanted to marry her, then that would be it. If there was one thing Haley did well, it was run scared. She'd done it before when she'd gone off to college. Sure, she'd told him that it was because she needed to prove to herself that she could go it alone. But they both knew it was a lie. She was afraid of what being alone with him would mean. No parents around for supervision? Yeah, they probably would have been in a little bit of trouble.

Nathan kicked the covers off of his body and tossed his pillow to the side. If he didn't have to fly to Los Angeles today, he'd sleep until noon. But he _did_ have to fly to Los Angeles so instead; Nathan turned the ice cold water on full blast and stepped under the shower head.

777

There was nothing that Haley hated more than a road trip by herself. So when she finally pulled up to her hotel in D.C. at nine o'clock that night, she sighed in relief. Having spent most of her morning walking around Boston and then eight hours in a car, she was thoroughly exhausted. Out of all the places she'd visited, it was her favorite city and she hated to miss anything while she was there. She could walk around for hours, the same block even, and discover something new each time she rounded it. She'd gone to Quincy Market for lunch before she finally got in her car at almost one o'clock to leave Boston—_and _Nathan—behind her.

Someone appeared at her door to open it, and she gave a tired smile as she stepped out. "Are your bags in the trunk, Miss?" a bellboy asked.

She nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. She'd always thought the title 'bellboy' was ill fitting. She'd never met a bellboy who was actually a _boy_. Most of the ones she'd met appeared to be in their late fifties, early sixties. She frowned at the thought and this time, a yawn made its way out. She'd have to finish her assessment of the notion in the morning, after she'd had some sleep. "Shall I put you right here with the luggage?" the bellboy asked playfully, pointing to the rack that would carry her things to her room.

Haley laughed at the question and shook her head. "As long as there's an elevator, I think I can make it," she teased back, making her way into the lavish hotel. Haley didn't usually go plush, she preferred to be a little more economical, but she'd set some money aside and decided that while she was on her way home, she was going to be sleeping in style. Especially if she was going to be staying two nights in D.C.

She made her way over to the counter to check in and the woman standing at the computer smiled at her.

Haley smiled back.

"Good Evening. Welcome to Doubletree Hotel. How can I help you?"

"I have a reservation," Haley told her.

"Name?"

Haley went on to give all of her information while the woman looked her up in the computer.

"Are you kidding me?" she heard someone walking through the lobby say. "The Celtics are a sure thing this year."

Her eyes flew to the crowd of young boys, most of them wearing jerseys representing their favorite sports teams. She was glad to see that there wasn't a Lakers emblem in the bunch, but there were two boys sporting Celtics wear.

"With Nathan Scott, how can they go wrong?"

"Yeah, well, did you see how his game was off when they came back from half-time last night?" another one asked.

"Yeah, but he bounced right back," was the last thing she heard before they got onto the elevator.

The woman behind the counter handed Haley a small card. "Here's your room key," she said, then motioned to the man behind her. "Raoul will show you to your suite."

"That's great, thank you," Haley said. "And is it too late to order room service?"

"Absolutely not," the woman said brightly. "We have a list of limited items that are available twenty four hours a day. There should be a menu in your suite. Raoul can show you where it is. Enjoy your stay," she said, as Haley followed Raoul to the elevators.

After a quick shower and a small meal, Haley changed into her pajama's—the Celtic's T-shirt that Nathan had left for her over Christmas in Tree Hill—and climbed beneath the covers on the bed. She switched the lamp on the nightstand off and pulled the covers up to her chin. As tired as she'd been, she'd expected to be out in no time. But sleep eluded her. When she'd finally slowed down, her mind instantly turned to Nathan. She sighed and snuggled further under the covers. All she'd had to do was tell him, that no, she wouldn't disappear this time. Although, technically, she hadn't disappeared _last_ time. He'd known she was going home to New Hampshire. He had her cell phone number and her home phone was listed, so it's not like he couldn't have gotten in touch with her. But he hadn't even bothered to try. _But in his defense, you __**did**__ leave him at the airport in Tree Hill with a chaste kiss on the cheek and a paltry 'let's let last night be what it was_, her brain reminded her.

"Shut up!" she said aloud, rolling over to get away from the lecture. It didn't work.

_Would __**you**__ have called you?_

"Seriously, I'm turning you off now!" Haley snapped.

_That's what you think_, her mind taunted.

_Fine,_ Haley thought. _You want to scrutinize this? Let's scrutinize this._

She rolled over onto her back and focused on the ceiling—which she really couldn't see because she had the thick navy blue drapes closed to block out any street lights—but she needed _some_thing to focus on. She sighed in defeat. She probably wouldn't have called herself, either. She'd made it pretty clear where he'd stood with her. Except that that wasn't where she wanted Nathan at all. She didn't want him in her memory as 'one amazing night.' She wanted him in her present. In fact, beside her right _now_ would be nice.

But unless he told her he wanted her first, she would never admit that to him. She'd always felt like she'd held him back. He'd stepped right in that night all those years ago to rescue her—and until he'd gone away to college, he hadn't stopped. While the other guys his age—her brother included--were out hanging with their friends, Nathan was wherever she'd been. She'd needed him too much then to care that he was missing out. But now, looking back, she felt like she'd stolen something from him. He'd been glued to her side for the entire school year he'd lived with the James family. She should have been stronger, shouldn't have depended on him so much. He hadn't even dated anyone during that time and she couldn't help but feel like that was her fault, too. If she'd tried to push him away, he would have been able to do other things, spend time with other people.

She sighed in frustration and blinked her eyes a few times. And _that_ was why she wouldn't admit her feelings to him now. She wouldn't hold him back like that again and she was afraid that that was exactly what would happen if they were together.

Her body gave in and she finally fell asleep, but it didn't matter. She dreamed of Nathan the entire night. And when she awoke the next morning, it was like she'd never slept at all.

777

Haley spent the next morning at the Smithsonian, something she would have loved under normal circumstances, but today her heart just wasn't in it. The Celtics were playing the Lakers again in L.A. tonight, and after two nights ago, the Celtics only needed to win this game to claim the trophy. She was nervous for them, especially Nathan. And so proud of him for living out his dream. When it became clear that she wasn't going to be able to keep her attention on anything for any amount of time, she left and made her way to Dupont Circle.

She made her way to the fountain at the center of the city—the structure was made of white marble and there were three carvings of nude figures in the center of it—one represented the sea, one— the stars, and the other—the wind. It was double-tiered, and she looked up as the water dropped from the top layer into the base. She meandered over to the edge and sat down to do one of her favorite things—people watch.

Usually the first things she noticed were playing children or dogs. Today, however, her eyes kept moving towards the couples strolling through the area. She watched as the women would lean into the men as if it were comforting. Or the way they'd find each other's hands without even having to look down, knowing that they would just _be_ there. But her favorite was the elderly couple she spied, the woman's arm slipped through her husbands, his opposite hand covering hers as if for reassurance. He'd pat it every so often--and Haley bet he didn't even realize he was doing it. A little while later, she stood up for her trek back to the hotel. It was still fairly early—two p.m., but she hadn't slept very well last night and figured she could get a quick nap in before finding someplace for supper and watching the game.

_Author's Note: This chapter wasn't very action packed, but I wanted to establish how profound of an effect Haley and Nathan had on each other after spending such a short amount of time together. Also—I wanted to give you a glance into how they were feeling and what their motives for staying away from each other were. I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to drop me a review! Thanks for reading!_


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